The study involved 25 women and 35

The study involved 25 women and 35 men, aged 18 to 42, who kept a diary over several days recording their mood and smoking behaviour. The urge to smoke was more strongly associated with anger, anxiety and alertness in men than in women. Feelings of sadness or fatigue were linked with the urge to smoke in men only. When the men smoked they felt less angry and it reduced their feelings of sadness. In women smoking was associated with feelings of happiness which were not reported by the men.

Dr Delfino believes that the findings suggest gender differences in the effect of nicotine on the central nervous system, possibly because of interactions with hormones. He believes that smoking-prevention programmes would be more successful if they were designed differently for men and women and if they targeted people according to their personality profile. "For instance, hostile people who smoke for mood-altering effects might benefit from learning how to control their anger," said Dr Delfino.