Situational suppression of cigarette smoking

Cigarette smoking rate was observed during work and recreation while subjects participated in two long-term residential experiments. In both experiments, the smoking rate observed during work was markedly lower than the smoking rate observed during recreation. In Experiment 1, activities were performed in successive 1-hour blocks. Smoking suppression during work was not associated with an increase in smoking rate following work. Experiment 2 consisted of treatment days of alternating 30-, 60-, and 120-minute work periods and recreation and control days when no work periods were presented. Performance of work was again associated with a marked suppression of smoking. In addition, the smoking rate for days during which no work was performed was greater than the smoking rate for days during which intermittent work was performed. This effect was not related to the length of the work periods. This finding indicates that subjects failed to compensate totally for work-related decreases in smoking. All subjects exhibited partial compensation.