The results of this study also support the role of craving as a motivating factor in smoking. As found in numerous studies (e.g., Carter & Tiffany, 2001; Shiffman et al., 2002) there is a positive relationship between high levels of craving and smoking behavior. However, the present study is among the first naturalistic studies to demonstrate reduced craving immediately after smoking (Beckham et al., 1996), offering empirical support to the common-sense belief that smoking is at least partly motivated by the desire to reduce craving, a psychological and physiological state that most smokers report as generally unpleasant.
