January 10, 2013

America's Next Top Model: College Edition hosts Kelly Cutrone, left and Tyra Banks, middle are joined by guests Bryanboy, second from left, Rob Evans, second from right, and Johnny Wujek, right, at the show's season premiere party in New York City, August, 22, 2012. (Mr. Blue/WENN.COM)

Does watching reality TV make you stupid?

Yeah -- trick question.

A new U.S. health study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology links tanning -- known to increase skin cancer risk -- to reality TV beauty shows.

According to a Reuters' story, college students who watch the sort of beauty show offered up by reality TV are about 50% more likely than non-viewers to pursue a tan. (Participants used tanning lamps or lay in the sun for hours. Or both, probably.)

Nothing conclusive ties viewer tanning to these reality TV programs, but the study suggests that a show such as America's Next Top Model, for example, might not be sending the right message about health issues like tanning.