Self-expanding Activities May Help Smokers Quit

In a recent study published in PLOS ONE, smokers who are trying to quit should attempt to incorporate new, exciting “self-expanding” activities, which may help minimizing nicotine cravings. The research team based the study’s conclusions from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans that measured brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. The fMRI scanning, focused on the brains of nicotine-deprived smokers who engaged in a series of two-player cooperative games with their relationship partners during the actual time of scanning. The results revealed that engaging in self-expanding games such as puzzle-solving appeared to reduce cravings for nicotine. Compared to non-expanding activities, smokers who participated in self-expansion activities yielded significantly greater activation in a major reward region of the brain associated with addictive behaviors. Future research could focus of specific aspects of the self-expansion activities in order to potentially develop clinical intervention for smoking cessation. To read more about this study, click here.