Tanning is addictive

A new study, published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, found that exposure to UV light could be as addictive as alcohol and smoking and that people expose themselves frequently to the sun’s rays even while knowing the health risks they are taking by doing so.

Researchers used the same tool used to diagnose a substance-related-disorder to determine whether sun worshipers were actually hooked on tanning their skin and found that subjects showed signs of addiction to UN light. One explanation for this addiction to sun is that UV light causes endorphin release, similar to the ‘high’ feeling associate with extreme exercise or other thrill seeking behaviour. The study found that that almost half (41 percent) of the subjects who tan reported doing so to relax, which is a factor that is consistent with other addictive practices.