Do Days of Our Lives and Jerry Springer make you stupid? I always thought so.

Research conducted by Brooklyn College has found a direct correlation between intelligence and day-time TV.

A study of 289 older women without dementia found that those who rated talk shows and soaps as their favorite programs performed more poorly on tests of memory, attention and mental quickness than their peers who cited other types of shows.

The researchers warn that the cause and effect can’t be shown, but that some relationship is certain.

That doesn’t mean that daytime television is a brain drain, they say … it’s not possible to tell whether the programs somehow contribute to cognitive decline or whether women in the early stages of decline gravitate toward those shows

In “day time TV” terms, that means they don’t know if Oprah makes you stupid or if stupid people like Oprah. It’s a thin gray line if you ask me.

Full article.