Impact of Yoga Practice on Self-Control in Abstinent Nicotine Dependent Smokers

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal will investigate the potential effects of an acute yoga intervention on an objective measure of self-control in a sample of nicotine-dependent smokers. This is the first study evaluating the effects of yoga practice on self-control and will provide critical data about the potential of yoga-based interventions to treat disorders that have self-control as one of their main components. Low self-control has been associated to an extensive range of unhealthy behaviors including substance abuse, compulsive eating and gambling, and attention-deficit disorders. Therefore, interventions with the potential to increase self-control may prove widely beneficial. As a practice that enhances self-awareness, yoga is an ideal candidate intervention to increase individual self-control~ and if the study aims are met, new treatment strategies would be suggested for additional study, that could supplement or replace existing treatments and increase successful management and/or recovery from disease. Accordingly, this proposal focuses on the impact of yoga on self-control in the context of tobacco addiction. Through a 3-arm randomized controlled trial design we will assess the influence of yoga on self-control, and compare that to an exercise intervention matched for metabolic expenditure, and to a health and wellness education program in confirmed 12-hour abstinent nicotine-dependent smokers. The primary outcome, self- control, represented by latency to smoking, will be measured using a laboratory model of abstinence reinforcement in which participants receive a monetary reward that increases as they spend time without smoking. This behavioral paradigm of self-control has been applied successfully in outpatient settings and in the laboratory. Secondary measures include questionnaires on self-control, mood, cigarette craving, and withdrawal symptoms before the intervention, right after, and at 4-weeks follow-up. Delay discounting performance, response inhibition, personality traits, anxiety, perceived stress, mindfulness, and expectancy will be obtained at baseline and used to identify correlates of the effect of yoga on self-control. The project is perfectly tailored to the skills o the research team, which is comprised of an early career principal investigator that also is a certifie yoga instructor, and two highly experienced co-investigators with experience in clinical research.