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Comment by NoMoreNicksLeft | Hacker News Reader

By all accounts, smoking is (at least early on, before your lungs rot out of your chest) pleasant. I would think the mentally healthy would enjoy it too. What would account for the selection effect here? Is there some smoking initiation mechanism that could account for it?

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At this point, everyone understands that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. The people who still engage in it, or who take it up, are those willing to sacrifice their physical health for stimulation. That type of behavior is exhibited in mentally less healthy people such as those with addictive personalities.

Smoking cigarettes is first and foremost an anxiety suppression mechanism. It’s no surprise that those given to overly worrying and fretting would smoke.

To use your words, the mentally healthy don’t need it

I'm not entirely certain I can agree with a definition of mental health that hints at the healthy being living spartan lifestyles of consuming only what they need and not an iota more. They never overeat? Never drink? They don't indulge in entertainment (simply not needed)?

Given how addictive smoking is, it seems like they'd only have to try it once. Which tends to happen in youth, and I don't think the high-schoolers are running around searching for anxiety suppression mechanisms.

> Smoking cigarettes is first and foremost an anxiety suppression mechanism

Citation?

I know Bernays convinced everyone that they were "freedom torches," but I suppose freedom might be first and foremost an anxiety suppression mechanism.

I know another anecdote won’t help you but when I read this it immediately rang true to me.

> Smoking cigarettes is first and formost an anxiety suppression mechanism

This describes my experience pretty well.

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