Extending Animal Models to Explore Social Rewards Associated With Designated Smoking Areas on College Campuses

Abstract

Objective: Animal studies have shown that when nicotine is administered in the presence of other animals (as compared with alone), it is more rewarding. As a human analogue to these studies, rewards associated with designated smoking areas on university campuses were examined, since these areas promote using nicotine in the presence of others. Participants: Participants were 118 (Sample 1, collected November 2011) and 94 (Sample 2, collected April 2012) student smokers at a midwestern university. Method: Data were collected via an Internet survey. Results: Social interaction while smoking on campus (as compared with smoking alone) significantly increased the perceived reward of smoking, looking forward to spending time in the campus smoking areas, and how many times the campus smoking areas were visited. Conclusions: Although designated smoking areas may protect nonsmoking students from the dangers of secondhand smoke, these areas may increase the rewards associated with nicotine for the smokers who use them.

Keywords:

• conditioned place preference
• nicotine
• smoking
• social reward
• tobacco