Aug. 11, 2013 — Addiction to smoking and other substances involves a particular set of brain areas related to self-control, according to numerous research. For a new study, researchers wondered if a training approach designed to influence this addiction pathway could influence smokers to reduce their tobacco use — even if smokers did not intend to do so.

It worked. The study, published online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that smokers trained with a form of mindfulness meditation known as Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) curtailed their smoking by 60 percent. Subjects in a control group that received a relaxation regimen showed no reduction.

Studies of smoking usually recruit those desiring to quit or reduce their smoking. Researchers approached this study differently. They sought volunteers interested in reducing stress and improving their performance. In actuality, the experiment was designed to explore how IBMT — previously shown to improve the self-control pathway related to addiction — would impact smoking behavior. Among the volunteers were 27 smokers, mean age 21, who smoked on average 10 cigarettes a day; 15 of them (11 men) were placed in the experimental group receiving IBMT training for a total of five hours over two weeks.

Read More: Mindfulness meditation trims craving for tobacco: 60% reduction in smoking.

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