The subjects of the study are '236 male and female smokers who wanted to give up'.
Among those who managed to quit for a while, the researchers found that they were in very high spirits (happy) during the check-ups when their smoking cessation was being successfully carried out. However, after failing their moods darkened significantly, and in many cases to lower depths than before the whole study began.
Kahler said that enhanced mood and periods of abstinence went hand-in-hand – the correlation was clear.
[...]
Kahler believes it is possible to extrapolate from this study and generalize over the whole population, even though his participants were relatively heavy drinkers. He refers to a 2002 study of smokers who had all experienced episodes of depression in their lives, but did not all drink.
The authors added that the link between happiness and smoking cessation was strong, regardless of whether the participant was drinking less or the same – the constant was successful smoking cessation.Observation: 10 out of 10. Inference: 0 out of 10.
2 comments:
The key is in the volunteers. They wanted to give up smoking.
If you want to do something and you succeed, you feel good. If you want to do something and fail, you feel bad.
That was what he tested. Not smoking at all, but the human reaction to success or failure. That is the 'strong link' here and Kahler's failure to see that makes him look really, really stupid.
He would have had precisely the same results if he had overweight volunteers who wanted to lose weight or alcoholics who wanted to be teetotal. Those who get what they want are happy, those who fail are not.
If someone is forced to stop doing something they enjoy, it will not make them feel happy. As with me and pubs. I used to like going to pubs. I am not at all happy about having that option taken from me.
I can't work out whether these scientists are spiteful liars or just utter cretins. Either way, they might be better off in another profession. One that does not require too much thinking.
Government, perhaps...
Subject surrounded by medical goons.
Do you want to give up smoking it's for the cheeeldren you know.
Er uuum eeer uuum yes.
Are you happier now ,shines lamp in subjects face yes,yes.can I go home now!
Imagine it.
yuk.
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