Some people find it easy to kick the bad habit of smoking. However, it poses as a much more difficult feat for others to overcome.
As it turns out, there's a scientific reason for that: some people are "genetically predisposed to finding it hard to quit." A new research study has supported this argument, as reported by Unilad:
"According to new scientific research, difficulty giving up smoking is not quite as simple as having weak willpower and could be down to a so-called 'pleasure' gene. [...] The gene in question, dubbed Taq1A, plays a role in processing dopamine, a brain chemical which is associated with pleasure and reward, and is released when smoking."
Apparently, it's deemed that increased levels of dopamine have a larger role on developing dependencies on nicotine. This basically means that a person's ability and difficulty to quit smoking is dependent on the form of Taq1A the person has.
Scientists discovered that people with the gene type known as A2/A2 had an easier time on kicking the habit of smoking, as compared to those who had A1/A1 or A1/A2.
The findings were published in Translational Psychiatry. According to the Mirror Online, the study findings were taken from gathering data from 22 earlier studies which comprised of 9.497 people overall.
The new study follows the research on another gene called DRD2. In this study, scientists found that people who have certain mutations of the gene are more likely to develop alcoholism, drug use, and other addictive behaviors like smoking.
The discovery of both the DRD2 and Taq1A genes could have a significant development in the health industry. These findings can further help researchers to find more personalized and effective treatments for individuals to quit their bad habits.
