The Brain and Motivation Motivation to Stop Smoking Christina Cheshire Emeka Wolfe-Norman, Ed.S, LPC PSY/ 355 February 27, 2012

Most drugs, including nicotine, induce a “euphoric” effect in the mind (Lewis, 2009) that can be difficult to “undo.” Smoking for most will be the most difficult thing they will ever do. I know that I have a personal interest in this paper. I am a smoker who is trying to quit. I have been a smoker for over fifteen years and I have come to a point in my life where I know that I must stop and it is a daily struggle but also achieveable.
Structures of the Brain and Smoking According to Lewis (2009), “nicotine is known to activate neuronal nicotinic receptors in the mesolimbic dopamine system.” What this means is that nicotine acts as a neural transmitter of sorts, and activates the dopamine system, creating the euphoric or calming effect most often associated with cigarette smoking. Because these receptors become sensitive to nicotine use, a person will become accustomed to the hypersensitive psychomotor activation (Lewis, 2009). The psychomotor activation creates a sense of alertness, boots metabolism, and can (in conjunction with the boost of dopamine in the system) create a sense of well-being. Through classic conditioning (Lewis, 2009), the brain becomes accustomed to the activity of smoking, which becomes a dependency in stressful situations. However, the boosting effects of nicotine become an addiction, where the body can become completely addicted, driving the person to be motivated to seek sources of nicotine almost constantly (Lewis, 2009) Quitting smoking thus becomes so difficult because the sources of motivation to do so must outweigh the motivation to continue smoking. Because nicotine and smoking are a dual-edged sword, the addiction to smoking is not only physiological, but behavioral as well. In many cases, the physical act of smoking can be more difficult to break than the physiological addiction to smoking (Lewis, 2009).
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Quitting smoking becomes difficult because there is a nearly complete lack of intrinsic motivation to do so. The difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, as defined by Deckers (2005), is that extrinsic sources of motivation come from the outside of the actual behavior, or are results of said behavior. Intrinsic sources of motivation, however, are internal and natural, following the body or mind’s innate needs and desires.
Intrinsic Motivation Because intrinsic motivation is internal, the addiction itself becomes the only source of intrinsic motivation. The powerful internal need to continue smoking becomes a huge barrier to the behavior of quitting smoking. The calming effects of smoking on the brain are something the brain seeks continuously in a person who has become sensitive to smoking (Lewis, 2009), and there are no internal counter-balances to outweigh this source of motivation. In addition to the positive effects of smoking, there are extreme negative motivations to quitting. A person suffers what is known as withdrawal, where they experience increased irritability, a sense of mental disorder, lessened senses, a feeling of physical illness, weight gain, and coughing as the sensitive cilia in the lungs begin to reactivate (Lewis, 2009). These effects are very unpleasant, and are the primary reason for relapse in those attempting to quit (Lewis, 2009). While the detrimental health aspects of smoking are well-known, even those can be difficult to overwhelm the intrinsic source of motivation, and are more extrinsic than intrinsic. People who try to quit have an 80% relapse rate, with only 6% of those attempting to quit making it for more than a month before relapsing (Lewis, 2009). Most people who attempt to quit and fail experience a relapse within three months of attempting to quit (Lewis, 2009).
Extrinsic Motivation There are many more extrinsic sources of motivation to both sides of smoking (quitting and continuing) than there are intrinsic ones. People are motivated to continue smoking because they become aware of its calming effects, enjoy fitting in with friends and family who smoke, are sensitive to peer pressure, or learn of its possible weight-controlling aspects (Lewis, 2009). The desire to begin and continue smoking has also been linked to a number of dopamine-reducing mental disorders, such as depression and bipolar syndrome (Lewis, 2009). Quitting smoking, however, has many extrinsic sources of motivation as well. The health benefits of quitting are well-known, as are the “cleanliness” effects of quitting (not smelling like smoke, less dust in your home, stopping the discolorization of paint and wallpaper, etcetera). People can be extrinsically motivated by friends and family, for example, who are concerned for the person’s well-being (Lewis, 2009). While this can all be powerful sources of motivation to quit, they are often not enough to override the intrinsic motivation to continue.
Environment and Heredity Because mental disorders are known to have hereditary links, the intrinsic possibility of addiction appears to be greatly increased with those whose family members have high addiction rates (Lewis, 2009). In addition, the environmental effect of being around smokers during adolescence creates a sense of “it’s okay to smoke,” which is very difficult to change in adulthood. In addition to environmental and hereditary effects at home, cigarette ads can make quitting even more difficult. Even in the case of many who have been long-term quitters of nicotine use, the sight of these advertisements or even witnessing others smoking can trigger the desire to resume the habit of smoking (Lewis, 2009). This adds to the difficulty of quitting in general.
Conclusion
While quitting smoking can be very difficult with the balance of sources of motivation, many people succeed in doing so every year. In most cases, it takes a conscious effort to overwhelm the powerful intrinsic motivations to continue smoking with another source of motivation that may not seem as powerful as the addictive effects of nicotine and the conditioned behavior of smoking. Even still, with its high failure rate and quick relapse time, quitting smoking continues to be extremely difficult with even the most well-researched quitting methods. The only real answer to quitting requires strong willpower and the ability to overwhelm motivation with another motivation.

Reference

Deckers, L. (2005) Motivation: Biological, Psychological, and Environmental, 2e. Pearson Education

Lewis, P.C. (2009) Tobacco: What Is It and Why Do People Continue to Use It? Dermatology Nursing. 21-2, pp. 87-97. Retrieved 2/21/12 from EBSCOhost at http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdf?vid=6&hid=7&sid=43f62e26-2cab-494f-823d-e0a8fd69c686%40sessionmgr4

Nelson, K. (n.d.) Motivation and the Brain: How incentives affect the brain and motivation. Retrieved 2/21/12 from http://www.lanterngroup.com/papers/motivebrain.pdf