Consumer Foraging for Safer Tanning Alternatives: A Naturally Occurring Experiment on Informational Reinforcement in the UK

In this study, we examined whether ultra-violet indoor tanning (UVIT) bans for minors in the United Kingdom increased consumer foraging for spray tanning–a safer alternative to UVIT. Research suggests that the use of UVIT can result in an increased likelihood of developing skin cancer and/or indoor tanning addiction, and is predictive of other maladaptive behaviors (Reed, 2015). Furthermore, an increased prevalence in indoor tanning among minors correlates with health complications later in life (Wehner et al., 2012). Using data from Google Trends, we constructed a natural multiple baseline investigation to demonstrate that searches for spray tans increased as a function of the UVIT legislation. Findings suggest that spray tanning may serve as a substitute for UVIT, offering implications for behavioral economic approaches to policies aimed at decreasing UVIT in the United States.