We all know the dangers of smoking cigarettes these days, and we don’t condone it. However, the 1950s were a different time, where the advertising and cultural pressure to smoke was intense. Smoking was seen as the epitome of cool and sophistication, and people were largely unaware of any negative consequences. That’s when cigarette psychology came into play.

The Psychology of Holding a Cigarette

The article below, from a 1959 issue of Caper Magazine, shows a few examples of what psychoanalyst Dr. William Neutra hypothesized after observing how people chose to smoke. According to his psychoanalysis, the body language of the method an individual uses to hold the cigarette shines a light onto their character traits, exposing their personality type, moods, and insecurities.

Examples of Cigarette Psychology

Scroll down to see the character analysis in the vintage magazine. If you are a smoker, perhaps you might recognize some of these yourself. Next time, observe your hand holding a cigarette; it might help you understand yourself better!

(h/t: Vintage Everyday)

A psychoanalyst in the 1950s believed that the method an individual uses to hold a cigarette shines a light onto their inner selves, exposing their character type, moods, and insecurities

1. Just a guess for this female mannerism: insecure, afraid to lose that cigarette. She probably holds on to her man like glue

2. Typical grasp of a female bored with her date. She has to concentrate on the tip to keep from yawning

3. Dr. Neutra claims this man is an intellectual, a very brainy type of guy, a contemplative character

4. This person is generally unreliable, weak, hard to live with, and inclined to excessive lying

5. Very tense individual, direct, straight-forward, inclined towards stubbornness

6. A hail fellow, well-met character who enjoys high living. Sort of the Texas millionaire type

7. This guy’s obviously daring, calculating, literally likes to “play with fire”

8. A dreamer, always off on a tangent

9. Very pessimistic, excessive in business caution

Here’s what people had to say about it

How Do You Hold Your Cigarette?

Were you able to relate to any examples from the cigarette-holding psychology? If yes, don’t forget to let us know in the comments. Who knew something so trivial could be so insightful, right? But then again, psychology never fails to surprise. If you know someone who smokes, share this with them. Or, just share it with all your friends. We are sure they will be just as fascinated by cigarette psychology, not just the smokers.

If you are into psychology or anything related to it, you should definitely check out our article about psychology tricks that will simply amaze you!

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