A new study draws some interesting links between smoking on television and smoking in real life. Researchers believe the more you see of the former, the more you’ll likely participate in the latter.

Researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed television shows aired during the past 55 years, noting how often people smoked on television. They found that smoking rates on TV neatly line up with real-life smoking habits among adults.

In fact, each time a cigarette showed up, on average, in a prime-time hour of television, real-life smokers consumed about two more packs of cigarettes a year. Researchers speculate that seeing people smoke on television might be an unhealthy trigger for long-time smokers who recently have quit. (Reuters)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.