Sniffing chocolate may curb smoking urge, finds study

We all knew chocolates had several health benefits but did we all know that chocolate scent can help smokers to curb their smoking urge.

A new study has revealed that pleasant Olfactory cues such as the fragrance of chocolates, lemon or vanilla have a lesser urge to smoke as compared to those exposed to normal smell or smell of tobacco. The study was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

Smoking or tobacco addiction is one of the major cause of death worldwide. For years scientists have been searching for ways that can curb this addiction and have found numerous ways including nicotine replacement therapy such as nicotine nasal spray, chewing gums, etc and olfactory receptor cues (OCs). But not much research has been done to explore how OCs can help control tobacco urges.

In the present study, the researchers asked the participants to smell and rate 12 different odors considered to be pleasant by most people (lemon, peppermint, chocolate) or unpleasant (mushroom). They were also exposed to tobacco smell as well. The scientists measured the craving score of the participants.

The average craving score of participants decreased significantly after they sniffed the container provided with their chosen pleasant smell as compared to those who smelled tobacco and blank.

This effect persisted over the course of 5 min. In addition, smokers with the most specific autobiographical memory systems were most responsive to the craving-reducing effects of pleasant OCs. About 90% of participants reported they could imagine using a pleasant OC to curb their craving in the natural environment. The present data suggest that OCs show promise for controlling cravings and highlight the need to conduct further research to test whether OCs may prove useful alone or in combination with existing approaches as a smoking cessation intervention.