The 1950s Cigarette Psychology: 9 Ways of Holding Your Cigarette and Their Meaning

 

Some people hold them firmly between their thumb and forefinger, while others choose to hold them more loosely between the index and middle finger.

But could these seemingly mundane choices actually reveal something about their personality? You're on to something there.

Reportedly, the way a person holds their cigarette, their body language, such as how they walk, sit, or use their hands, can be a revealing window into their inner self.

In 1959, an article by Dr. William Neutra appeared in Kepper Magazine that explored personality analysis through cigarette holding styles. According to him, this method not only uncovers but also provides important clues for effective patient treatment.

Dr. Neutra's research delivered not just one insight, but a collection of seven fascinating discoveries about men, along with two specific ways women handle their cigarettes.

However, in an interesting twist, it appears that the same approach does not work as effectively when applied to women.

Dr. Neutra suggests that women's increased self-awareness, especially in relation to their natural posture, often makes them too conscious of how to hold their cigarette, making them less ideal for this delectable experiment. Becomes the subject.

The first half of the 20th century was the golden age of cigarettes. In 1950 about half the population of industrialized countries smoked, with up to 50 percent of adult males in countries such as the United States being regular smokers.

Smoking was an acceptable form of social behavior in all walks of life – at work, at home, in bars and at the cinema – and advertisers were keen to show the full range of leisure activities accomplished beyond just cigarettes. ,

Cigarette smoking was increasingly popular across all social classes and among women, once the association of smoking with deviant sexuality began to fade in the 1920s.

This development had less to do with the efforts of advertisers – for example, who in 1925 introduced the Marlboro brand as a women's cigarette: "Mild as May" – and more with the effects of the war and direct confrontation with social attitudes. Was more connected. By the so called new women.