Noel King

So they're saying it helps them focus, which means this is about, maybe no surprise, but this is about productivity, not like the sublime pleasure of taking a puff on a cigarette.

Right.

Yeah.

And that's a kind of interesting distinction.

You know, the way that cigarettes were historically marketed, a lot of it was about relaxation, leisure.

The way that these newer nicotine pouches are being marketed among the health and wellness set is that it's much more about getting through your exercise, getting through your workday, that kind of thing.

So nicotine helps you focus to get through your gym set.

Well, that's what they say.

Now, the research on this is more complicated.

And I can go into that if now is a good time to talk about that.

Yeah.

Let's talk about what the research actually says.

What does the research say?

So for my story, I talked to a guy named Paul Newhouse, who's a researcher at Vanderbilt University.

And he's somebody who a lot of the people who are really into nicotine as a sort of wellness tool or performance tool like to cite his research.

But he says, basically—

Nicotine can be helpful for you cognitively if you're suffering from some sort of problem to begin with.

So for example, it's possible that if you're dealing with dementia, nicotine patches in particular could help you focus.

OK, so as with a lot of things, it might seem good, but then the research digs a little bit deeper and it's not all that good.

Is it dangerous, though?