This study examined how individuals with smoking or gambling addiction react to cues and to stress. Participants were either heavy smokers, gamblers, or controls (i.e., people without a smoking or gambling addiction). The results revealed that active gambling or smoking cues yielded greater cravings than neutral cues in gamblers and smokers. Gamblers and smokers had a blunted cortisol response after experiencing a stressor. In smokers, the stressor led to increased craving to smoke in response to the smoking cue. In contrast, the stressor reduced the urge to gamble among gamblers.
