Rationality and self-control: the implications for smoking cessation

This paper clarifies a popular misunderstanding that self-control theory competes with rational addiction to explain a smoker's quitting behavior [Keeler, T.E., Marciniak, M., Hu, T., 1999. Rational addiction and smoking cessation: an empirical study. Journal of Socio-Economics 28 (5), 633-643]. While a smoker's rationality plays a critical role in his decision to quit, whether the quitting will be successful or not is affected by his self-control and other socioeconomic characteristics. The empirical evidence from the CPS Tobacco Use Supplements, a nationally representative sample, are consistent with hypotheses derived from both theories.