Experiencing cigarette craving with a friend: A shared reality analysis.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Smoking relapse is a major public health concern, often predicted by cigarette craving.
• Laboratory studies on smoking typically isolate participants, neglecting social influences on craving.
• Social factors are known to influence self-reported craving in real-world settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how social presence affects smokers' experiences during craving induction.
• To evaluate social processes, like perceived similarity and closeness, in a shared reality framework.
• To examine the relationship between craving, social context, and emotional responses.

Main Methods:

• Sixty pairs of smoking friends (120 participants) underwent a 5-hour smoking abstinence period.
• Participants were assigned to either a 'together' condition (friend present) or 'alone' condition during craving induction.
• Craving was induced using in vivo smoking cue exposure; social interactions and facial expressions (Duchenne smiles) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Participants in the 'together' condition reported greater perceived similarity and closeness to their friend.
• Shared Duchenne smiles correlated with perceived similarity in the 'together' condition.
• While social context didn't alter affect or urge to smoke, urge was linked to similarity in the 'together' condition.

Conclusions:

• Craving may serve social functions, fulfilling relational and epistemic needs.
• The presence of a friend during craving can enhance social bonding and perceived similarity.
• Future laboratory research on smoking should incorporate social contexts to better reflect real-world smoking behavior.