The next big blow to the tobacco industry came in the early 1960s, with the development of the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health. In layman's terms, it stated that cigarette smoking is casually related to lung cancer in men, and for women it is less extensive, but points in the same direction. Not only has the cigarette's history had a high impact on today's smokers, but there are a number of other interesting psychological reasons that make smoking so tempting. Smoking, for many people, becomes a justifiable reason for interrupting work and stealing an instant of pleasure. Smoking is a reward.
Most people are eager for rewards and want to be patted on the back.
A cigarette is a reward that we can give ourselves as often as we desire. When we have done anything well, for example, we can congratulate ourselves with a cigarette. I'll have a cigarette. The cigarette is a contemporary hourglass. Often the burning down of a cigarette functions psychologically as a time indicator.