Smoking may be bad for physical health, bad enough to cause dreaded diseases and death. It turns out the habit also causes psychological stress. And, all along, smoking was supposed to be a stimulant.
Americans who smoke are in worse emotional health than are those who do not smoke. Smokers have an average Emotional Health Index Score of 72.0, much lower than the average of 81.1 for nonsmokers.
And:
Americans in poverty are more likely to smoke compared with those who are not in poverty, 33% vs. 19.9%, and smokers are more likely to have depression and other chronic health problems. But smokers, regardless of their income level, report worse emotional health than those who do not smoke. This means that socioeconomic status alone does not account for the differences in emotional health between smokers and nonsmokers; rather there is something else about being a smoker that relates to having worse emotional health.
New warnings on the side of cigarette packs may soon include “This product will make you depressed.”
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