A new Hebrew University of Jerusalem-led study found that reminders of collective trauma can cause an immediate spike in cannabis and tobacco cravings among regular users, according to research published in the Journal of Health Psychology.
The peer-reviewed study, led by Dr. Vera Skvirsky, Dr. Uri Lifshin, Maayan Yacubovitz, and Hila Avnit, examined how exposure to reminders of the October 7 attack affected regular cannabis users and daily tobacco smokers in Israel.
Researchers said the findings suggest that smoking-related cravings are not only a matter of habit or physical dependence, but may also function as a rapid psychological defense against thoughts of mortality and vulnerability.
The study was based on terror management theory, which holds that people instinctively seek to suppress or manage fear when confronted with reminders of death or existential threat.
In the first experiment, moderate to high-risk cannabis users were asked to read an article about the October 7 attack, accompanied by recognizable images. A control group read an article about dental pain.
Similar results among tobacco smokers
Participants exposed to the October 7 material reported significantly stronger cannabis cravings than those in the control group, the researchers said.
A second experiment used the same method with daily tobacco smokers and found a similar increase in nicotine cravings after exposure to collective trauma reminders.
“Our findings highlight how addictive behaviors are often deeply intertwined with our basic need for psychological survival,” Lifshin said. “When people are reminded of a collective existential threat, the immediate urge to smoke isn’t simply a physical habit. It is a rapid defensive response designed to push thoughts of mortality out of conscious awareness.”
Anxiety and psychological buffers
The study also found that people with high attachment anxiety, meaning those who worry more about their own lovability and the reliability of support networks, reported higher overall cravings.
However, the researchers said attachment security, self-esteem, national identity, and self-affirmation tasks did not reduce the immediate cravings triggered by trauma reminders.
That finding suggests the cravings were an urgent and reflexive attempt to suppress threatening thoughts, rather than a longer-term effort to build psychological security.
Broader public health implications
The findings come as Israeli researchers and clinicians continue to examine the long-term psychological effects of the October 7 massacre, the ongoing war, displacement, and repeated exposure to traumatic news.
The authors said the results may help explain how media reminders of collective traumatic events can affect health-related behavior, even after the initial event has passed.
The research paper, titled “The effect of collective trauma on craving for cannabis and tobacco,” is available in the Journal of Health Psychology.