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Smoking and Intelligence


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So this may sound as a very paranoid 19 year old but from recently doing some google searches on smoking vs intelligence, there seems to be some conclusive results that smoking can be linked into losing approximately 3% of one's IQ, with the variables of they smoke a pack a day for about 10 or so years. I'm 19 and I used to smoke as a kid from about 14 - 17, quit for a year, then started to smoke recently again for the past say 6 months, but now am definetly stopping from the evidence I've discovered.

 

However, my question, and googling this answer gets a lot of mixed results so I thought a science forum would be an ideal place to ask. Can your brain make a full recovery from one who has smoked as short time as I have? Would there be any noticable or unnoticable impacts that smoking has caused on my intelligence? Knowledge is the most important thing to me and thinking that I may have hindered a part of my brain responsible for learning and memory worries me! What could be some effects it has on me, and am I able to recover mentally completely?

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Sounds about right. I bet most of the loss is from lethargy caused by circulatory issues. The part of my brain right above my left ear seems to be asleep when I'm smoking regularly too. I'm on my second day of quitting cold turkey because I could use the lucidity.

 

I'm not sure about this, but I don't think smoking causes brain damage. It's probably all circulatory. I hate doing this, mentioning things I don't have a link for, but I read somewhere that bad posture can make you lose up to 30% of your mental ability because of circulatory issues. I think they're right. I notice a difference. But I could be cuckoo from the withdrawl.

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Sounds about right. I bet most of the loss is from lethargy caused by circulatory issues. The part of my brain right above my left ear seems to be asleep when I'm smoking regularly too. I'm on my second day of quitting cold turkey because I could use the lucidity.

 

I'm not sure about this' date=' but I don't think smoking causes brain damage. It's probably all circulatory. I hate doing this, mentioning things I don't have a link for, but I read somewhere that bad posture can make you lose up to 30% of your mental ability because of circulatory issues. I think they're right. I notice a difference. But I could be cuckoo from the withdrawl.[/quote']

 

I can think of another reason why this would be... if it even is true.

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Interesting, I heard a report not so long ago that Smokers actualy do Better in exams and show a capacity for greater concentration than their non-smoking counterparts?

 

ok, this mentioned nothing about actual IQ, but it`s non the less interesting to note!

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Interesting' date=' I heard a report not so long ago that Smokers actualy do Better in exams and show a capacity for greater concentration than their non-smoking counterparts?

 

ok, this mentioned nothing about actual IQ, but it`s non the less interesting to note![/quote']

 

heightened ability to relax during exams?

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I think it did mention something about that also, I can`t be 100% certain though, as it was a radio program I was listening to at the time about a study done at some large university or other.

don`t quote me, but I think it was Smokers being Higher Acheivers than non-smokers.

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I think it did mention something about that also' date=' I can`t be 100% certain though, as it was a radio program I was listening to at the time about a study done at some large university or other.

don`t quote me, but I think it was Smokers being Higher Acheivers than non-smokers.[/quote']

 

You got to be kidding me. I refuse to smoke ever in my life, because I'm very cautious about losing my brain cells. Sure, smoking does make you calm, but it has a bad effect on your brain. All those filthy hazardous chemicals from the cigartees can kill parts of your brain, and even change its size. I refuse to smoke. My father is a heavy smoker, (I think he smokes a pack per day, I'm not exactly sure for the past 30 years), and he is currently only 51, and I'm worrying that he will be passing away really soon. Therefore, my next point: Smoking shortens your life expectancy. :-(

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the smell of tobacco makes me sick(physically) so i don't think i'll ever take it up. don't want to anyway. Caramacs are my addiction, i had 5 today.

 

What is Caramacs? I looked in the dictionary, but couldn't find anything, so I assume it's a name brand of something. What is it?

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ok, assuming that it does damage your brain. compared to other drugs it will be at a really lesser extension right? can't the effect be insignificant if we think that it can be compensated by better "using" your brain cells?

I mean, the more you use your brain, the smarter you will be right? so if you take a mentaly active life, won't the effect of smoking pass unnoticed?

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Is anyone actually going to cite anything here? This is all just a bunch of hearsay...

 

Smoker. Sounds like someone needs an intervention.

 

I've been looking for the study I say about posture and mental function, but I have had no luck. Sorry, I hate it when this happens.

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hello

 

i would reason that the two main likely cause for deterioration of brain function would be dealing with

1) if in enclosed areas heavy smoke could result in a loss of oxygen to the smokers brain which could cause damge.

2) in smoking your body-brain ingests nicotine, a narcotic.

 

http://www.today.ucla.edu/2000/001121nicotine.html

 

might interest you

 

mr d

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A team of UCLA neuroscientists has found that nicotine causes degeneration in a region of the brain that affects emotional control, sexual arousal, REM sleep and seizures.

“Only one tract of the brain is affected.”

According to this article, the IQ/intelligence isn't affected at all.

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Hey, what part of the brain is that? Is it the part right above your left ear?

 

I swear, when I stop smoking after awhile it wakes back up and it feels like a draining sink is forcing a fishes mouth to open and close quickly and wiggle right there. And then, life is good. And I do admit, I turn into an animal (grrr, if you know what I mean) and I need to sleep much less.

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  • 4 weeks later...
heightened ability to relax during exams?

 

This seems quite odd, because the effects of nicotine last roughly half an hour. If the cravings set in (especially for heavy smokers) after this time, then surely there would be a lack of concentration.

 

If you had to sit an exam for more than an hour, surely concentration would be effected. The only thing I can think, is that like caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant, and so possibly this extra alertness would help through the majority of a long exam.

 

Or it's simply that smokers achieve better concentration whilst revising, and so increasing their chances when it comes to an exam.

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