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Personality traits associated with caffeine intake and smoking
Manuel Gurpegui1, Dolores Jurado, Juan D Luna
1Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av Madrid 11, Granada, Spain. gurpegui@ugr.es
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|April 24, 2007
Summary
Novelty seeking personality traits are linked to higher caffeine and nicotine consumption. This study controlled for smoking when examining caffeine intake and vice versa, finding significant associations for both substances.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Previous research suggests links between personality traits like impulsivity and caffeine consumption.
- These studies often overlook the confounding effect of smoking, a common co-occurrence with caffeine use.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial given the widespread use of both substances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between personality traits and caffeine intake, while controlling for smoking.
- To explore how caffeine intake influences the established relationship between personality and smoking.
- To provide epidemiological evidence on the interplay between personality, caffeine, and nicotine.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 498 adults who completed self-questionnaires on demographics, tobacco, and caffeine consumption.
- Personality traits were assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125).
- Logistic regression analyses were employed to examine associations, controlling for potential confounders like sex and age, and the reciprocal effects of smoking and caffeine.
Main Results:
- The personality dimension of novelty seeking was significantly associated with heavy caffeine consumption (>200 mg/day), even after adjusting for smoking (adjusted OR=2.0).
- Novelty seeking also showed a significant association with smoking (adjusted OR=1.8) and heavy smoking (>20 cigarettes/day) (adjusted OR=1.8), after controlling for caffeine intake.
- These findings highlight a robust link between novelty seeking and the consumption of both nicotine and caffeine.
Conclusions:
- This study provides epidemiological evidence linking novelty seeking, a trait associated with lower basal dopaminergic activity, to both nicotine and heavy caffeine intake.
- Both nicotine and caffeine are known to enhance dopaminergic neurotransmission, suggesting a potential neurobiological basis for these associations.
- The findings underscore the importance of considering co-occurring substance use when examining personality-substance relationships.
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