When national tragedy strikes, the urge to light up isn’t just a habit, it is a psychological defense mechanism. New research reveals that simply being reminded of a collective trauma triggers an immediate, reflexive craving for tobacco and cannabis among regular users. Driven by deep seated existential fears, these sudden cravings act as a rapid mental shield to block out terrifying thoughts of mortality and vulnerability.
In the aftermath of national tragedies, the psychological toll often manifests in unseen ways. A recent study led by Dr Vera Skvirsky, Dr Uri Lifshin, Maayan Yacubovitz, Hila Avnitat the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health sheds light on one of these hidden casualties. The research demonstrates that mere reminders of a collective trauma can cause an immediate and measurable spike in the craving for cannabis and tobacco among regular users.
The study explores a psychological framework known as terror management theory. According to this model, humans are uniquely aware of their own mortality, and when confronted with existential threats, people instinctively deploy defenses to suppress terrifying thoughts. The researchers suggest that for many individuals, the urge to smoke acts as a rapid proximal defense mechanism. It serves as a psychological shield that temporarily distracts the mind from the potentially paralyzing awareness of death and vulnerability.
To test this, Dr Skvirskyand her team conducted two distinct experiments. In the first, moderate to high-risk cannabis users were asked to read an article recounting the events of the October 7 attack on Israel, complete with recognizable images. A control group read an article about dental pain. The results were stark. Those exposed to the national trauma reminders reported a significantly heightened craving for cannabis. The second experiment replicated this methodology with daily tobacco smokers, yielding the same intense surge in nicotine cravings following the trauma prompt.
“Our findings highlight how addictive behaviors are often deeply intertwined with our basic need for psychological survival,” Dr Lifshin noted. “When people are reminded of a collective existential threat, the immediate urge to smoke isn’t simply a physical habit. It is a rapid defensive response designed to push thoughts of mortality out of conscious awareness.”
The data also revealed that individuals with high attachment anxiety, defined as those who harbor deep worries about their own lovability and the availability of support networks, consistently reported higher overall cravings. However, the study found that traditional anxiety buffers, such as attachment security (low anxiety), self-esteem, and a strong sense of national identity, as well as self-affirmation tasks, did not diminish the immediate cravings triggered by the trauma reminders. This suggests that the impulse to consume these substances is an urgent, reflexive reaction aimed at suppressing threatening thoughts from consciousness, rather than an attempt to increase psychological security as a coping strategy.
As societies across the globe continue to grapple with war, polarization, terrorism, displacement, and collective uncertainty, the study highlights the need to better understand how existential fear shapes addictive behavior. It also demonstrates how reminders of collective traumatic events in news media might influence health related behaviors, even after the collective traumatic event has subsided.
The research paper titled “The effect of collective trauma on craving for cannabis and tobacco” is now available in Journal of Health Psychology and can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053261450563.
Researchers:
Vera Skvirsky, Uri Lifshin, Maayan Yacubovitz, Hila Avnit, Tslil Dvir, Maayan Marcus, Maya Regev, Rotem Flor, and Mario Mikulincer
Institutions:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH), Israel