The effects of cigarette smoking on the response to stress in a driving simulator

1. Some behavioural and physiological responses of cigarette smokers and non-smokers exposed to varying degrees of stress in a driving simulator were compared.2. When the smokers were smoking a cigarette, some of their reaction times to light signals differed significantly from those of non-smokers, some being longer and some shorter. These differences disappeared when the smokers were not smoking.3. Of the physiological measurements, only heart rate differed significantly between smokers and non-smokers, being higher at all levels of stress in the smokers. There were no significant differences in blood pressure, calf blood flow and respiration rate between smokers and non-smokers.4. The results of the Cattell Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire showed that the smokers were significantly more extroverted and self-reliant than the non-smokers.5. The results are discussed in relation to the pharmacology of cigarette smoking. It is concluded that the differences in reaction times and heart rates between smokers and non-smokers were a consequence of cigarette smoking.