Table of Contents

Health complications from smoking are the number one preventable cause of death in the US. Although there are effective treatments available, none have proven to be completely successful, and it is important to explore novel methods of helping smokers abstain from cigarettes for good. Particularly valuable would be smoking abstinence aids that are cost-effective, easily accessible, and likely to be implemented and sustained.

This book reviews one such potential aid which has not been discussed in prior smoking abstinence/cessation literature: self-expansion. Self-expanding (novel, exciting, and/or challenging) activities/events activate the mesolimbic dopamine reward system associated with pleasure and motivation. This book also reviews the theory and evidence for the idea that the reward from self-expanding activities/events can supplant the reward and reinforcement from smoking cigarettes. (Imprint: Nova)