Memory Significantly Affected By Smoking, Study Demonstrates
A new study employing a real world memory test has shown that those who smoke remember significantly less than those who do not smoke or who have stopped smoking.The study, which took place at Northumbria University, involved seventy participants between the ages of 18 and 25, with a mixture of smokers, former smokers and non-smokers. The participants underwent a tour of the Northumbria University campus, after which the researchers assessed their ability to remember particular pre-determined details, such as which band was scheduled to play at the Student’s Union. The results showed that the smokers had the weakest recall ability of only 59% of tasks. This is in comparison to the former smokers who remembered 74% accurately and the people who had never smoked, who remembered 81% of the details.
These results showed that not only does smoking have a very real affect on everyday memory, but also that those who stop smoking are able to restore their levels of recall to similar levels as those who have never smoked. This is another in a long list of incentives for smokers to consider when trying to stop smoking successfully.
The lead authors of the study, Dr Tom Heffernan and Dr Terence O’Neill, said in a statement that “it is important to understand not just the health consequences of smoking, but what effects it might have upon your everyday cognitive function - of which prospective memory is an excellent example.” They have indicated that the research team intends to further the research by examining what impact second hand or passive smoking can have on cognitive functions.
A new study employing a real world memory test has shown that those who smoke remember significantly less than those who do not smoke or who have stopped smoking.The study, which took place at Northumbria University, involved seventy participants between the ages of 18 and 25, with a mixture of smokers, former smokers and non-smokers. The participants underwent a tour of the Northumbria University campus, after which the researchers assessed their ability to remember particular pre-determined details, such as which band was scheduled to play at the Student’s Union. The results showed that the smokers had the weakest recall ability of only 59% of tasks. This is in comparison to the former smokers who remembered 74% accurately and the people who had never smoked, who remembered 81% of the details.These results showed that not only does smoking have a very real affect on everyday memory, but also that those who stop smoking are able to restore their levels of recall to similar levels as those who have never smoked. This is another in a long list of incentives for smokers to consider when trying to stop smoking successfully.
The lead authors of the study, Dr Tom Heffernan and Dr Terence O’Neill, said in a statement that “it is important to understand not just the health consequences of smoking, but what effects it might have upon your everyday cognitive function - of which prospective memory is an excellent example.” They have indicated that the research team intends to further the research by examining what impact second hand or passive smoking can have on cognitive functions.
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