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For smokers who are thinking of leaving the habit, here is another incentive to do so. In a recent study undertaken and published by The British Journal of Psychiatry, it was observed that the level of anxiety was less in smokers who quit smoking and refrained from smoking even after six months.

The study was conducted taking 491 smokers who attend National Health Service smoking cessation clinics in England. The data was then followed up with another study after six months.

The anxiety score of the smokers was taken at the onset of the study when they left smoking. After six months, these 491 smokers were divided into two groups: those who did not revert to smoking even after six months, and those who had resumed smoking during the six months.

It was found that the anxiety score was markedly lower in the people who quit smoking than in the people who reverted to smoking.

This also has managed to successfully end the myth that smoking reduces one's level of stress. There was no scientific confirmation to prove the same, however, this was a common reason given by most smokers for their habit of smoking.

There are many people nowadays who claim to smoke only when they are stressed or feeling tensed. This study should be an eye-opener for them and inspire them to quit smoking.

The findings have also come as a warning to people who try to quit smoking but relapse after some point or the other. If smokers relapse instead of quitting, this might aggravate their anxiety instead of reducing it, specifically if they are suffering from psychiatric disorders or if they are smoking to reduce their tension.

For an individual who smoked for no particular reason except to enjoy it, relapsing into smoking within six months did not alter their anxiety level at all.

One of the most positive effects of this is that it will boost the government's anti-tobacco campaign, as now there is yet another reason to quit smoking.