Research paper
Baumeister RF. Addiction, cigarette smoking, and voluntary control of action: Do cigarette smokers lose their free will? Addictive Behaviors Reports. 2017 Jun;5:67-84. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2017.01.003
Why we cite it
Reviews empirical evidence across multiple questions about whether addicted smokers retain voluntary control, concluding that addiction changes motivation (recurring desires) but not behavioural capacity (ability to act on or resist those desires). Relevant to this project because the same distinction — between wanting to eat something and actually eating it — is central to dietary behaviour change: people who struggle with eating habits retain the capacity to choose differently, even when desire persists.
About the author
Roy F. Baumeister is Professor Emeritus at the University of Queensland, and formerly Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar at Florida State University (2003-2016) and Elsie Smith Professor at Case Western Reserve University (1979-2003). AB summa cum laude Princeton (1974), PhD Social Psychology Princeton (1978). Over 500 scientific articles and 30+ books; h-index ~206 with 200,000+ citations. Pioneered the ego depletion model of self-control as a limited resource. Co-authored *Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength* (2011, with John Tierney). William James Fellow Award (2013, APS highest honour), Jack Block Award (2011), Alexander von Humboldt Award.
DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2017.01.003 · PubMed 29450229 · Publisher