How Personality Influences Smoking Choices

Cigarette vs. Cigar Smokers

Source: DALL-E3/OpenAI

Cowritten by Jon Gruda and Jim A. McCleskey.

Smoking is a major health issue around the world, causing more than eight million deaths each year. While we often hear about the physical dangers of smoking, recent research is showing how our personalities can also influence our smoking habits.

Our recent study, "Hit Me with Your Best Puff: Personality Predicts Preference for Cigar vs. Cigarette Smoking" looks at how different personality traits influence whether people choose cigars or cigarettes.

The Big Five Personality Traits and Smoking

The Big Five personality traits are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The traits help explain why people behave the way they do—including their smoking habits. Previous research shows that people who score high in neuroticism (individuals who tend to be anxious and stressed) and low in conscientiousness (individuals who may be less disciplined and more impulsive) are more likely to smoke. They might smoke to cope with stress or because they’re more likely to take risks.

What We Found

We used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which includes nearly 10,000 older adults from 11 European countries. Here’s what we discovered about how personality traits relate to smoking preferences:

Key Findings:

1. Cigarette Smokers: These individuals generally score lower on conscientiousness and agreeableness and higher on extraversion. They might be more impulsive, less concerned with long-term health effects and enjoy the social aspects of smoking.

2. Cigar Smokers: These smokers tend to score higher in openness and lower in neuroticism. They might view cigar smoking as a special and relaxing endeavor or a symbol of sophistication, rather than use it as a way to manage stress.

What This Means for Quitting Smoking

Understanding the link between personality and smoking can help create better ways to help people quit. Here are some ideas based on our findings:

• For Cigarette Smokers: Focus on stress management and controlling impulsive behavior. Programs could include cognitive-behavioral therapy, and building social support networks to help manage anxiety and reduce impulsive actions.

• For Cigar Smokers: Address the social and cultural aspects of smoking. Interventions could offer alternative ways to achieve social status and relaxation, such as joining social clubs or engaging in hobbies that provide a sense of sophistication and leisure without the health risks of smoking.

Conclusion

Our study shows how important it is to consider personality traits when designing smoking-cessation programs. Tailoring programs to fit individual psychological profiles can improve their effectiveness and help more people quit smoking. After all, the cultural context of tobacco use is important. Cigar smoking, for example, is more common in certain cultures and is associated with high social status. By understanding the cultural differences, we can develop more effective and culturally sensitive public health campaigns.

Jim A. McCleskey is a senior faculty member at Western Governors University.