Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain
Smokers generally feel more comfortable after that especially important
first cigarette of the day. Within just a few seconds of "lighting up," smoking
activates mind-altering changes. Smokers are well aware of the long-term risks
of their habit: such as lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other deadly
illnesses. However, smokers are attracted by the immediate effects of smoking:
"a stimulant that makes them seem to feel more alert, clearheaded and able to
focus on work." Smoking however, does not really have these effects; what the
smoker perceives is an illusion. Nicotine begins to act on brain cells within
ten seconds of inhalation, fitting into "keyholes" on the surface ...
Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers
|
irregular amount of acetylcholine-like
chemical acting upon it. The brain is reshaped: the smoker feels normal with
nicotine in his system, and abnormal without it. A series of tests were
conducted on nonsmokers, "active" smokers, and "deprived" smokers. The "active"
smokers were given a cigarette before each test, while the "deprived" smokers
were not allowed cigarettes before tests.
The tests started simply, and then moved towards more complex problems.
In the first test, subjects sat in front of a computer screen and pressed the
space bar when a target letter, among 96, was recognized: smokers, deprived
smokers, and nonsmokers, performed equally well. The next test involved
scanning sequences of 20 identical letters and as one of the letters was
transformed into a different one, responding with the space bar. Nonsmokers
responded fastest, and active smokers were faster than those who were deprived
from smoking. In the third test, subjects were required to memorize a ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain. (2006, May 2). Retrieved March 27, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Cigarettes-And-Their-Destruction-Of-Brain/45294
"Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 2 May. 2006. Web. 27 Mar. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Cigarettes-And-Their-Destruction-Of-Brain/45294>
"Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain." Essayworld.com. May 2, 2006. Accessed March 27, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Cigarettes-And-Their-Destruction-Of-Brain/45294.
"Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain." Essayworld.com. May 2, 2006. Accessed March 27, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Cigarettes-And-Their-Destruction-Of-Brain/45294.
|
Save
Report