Loneliness makes it harder to quit smoking: Study

Jun 16, 2020

New Delhi, June 17 (ANI): Researchers have found evidence for a causal link between the prolonged experience of loneliness and smoking in a recent study. The study led by researchers from the University of Bristol was published in the journal Addiction. Although numerous studies have shown there is an association, it has been difficult to disentangle whether being lonely leads to substance abuse or if substance abuse leads to loneliness. By applying a novel research method to the question - Mendelian randomisation - which uses genetic and surveys data from hundreds of thousands of people, the team found that loneliness appears to lead to an increased likelihood of smoking behaviour. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), during the first month of the lockdown, the equivalent of 7.4 million people said their well-being was affected through feeling lonely.