The nonpecuniary effects of smoking cessation: happier smokers smoke less

Publication type

Journal Article

Author

Publication date

June 1, 2009

Abstract:

The objective of this article is to describe the relationship between past changes in daily cigarette consumption and happiness using a national longitudinal panel survey. Data from 724 smokers who participated in the first 11 waves of the British Household Panel Survey were analysed using a fixed effects regression model. An increase in daily smoking frequency corresponded with a decrease in happiness ( = -0.004, 95% confidence interval -0.006 to -0.001). Independent of this relationship, happiness decreased as health deteriorated with a transition to the poorest health group associated with greatest unhappiness ( = -0.190, 95% confidence interval -0.258 to -0.123) followed by those in the next poorest health group ( = 0.114, 95% confidence interval -0.176 to -0.051) and as health improved further, the effect on happiness diminished ( = -0.077, 95% confidence interval -0.127 to -0.027) indicating a dose-repose relationship between health and happiness. Smokers who reduce cigarette consumption can expect greater happiness in a relationship that is not mediated by changes in health. This relationship is interpreted as cigarettes showing reference dependence

Published in

Applied Economics Letters

Volume

Volume: 16 (4):395-398

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504850601018502

Subjects

Notes

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