Last updated 15:17, Friday, 18 April 2008

Kissing in the back row of cinemas could soon become a thing of the past.

A couple kissing

Academics have discovered that cinema and TV screens should be viewed in rooms which are much more brightly lit than they traditionally have been.

The findings will strike a blow to the thousands of dating teenagers across the country who for years have used the cover of darkness offered by dimly lit cinemas to further love's young dreams.

The research findings by University of Cumbria and University College Dublin suggest that the ambient lighting should be the same brightness as that of the image being viewed.

This means that everything from big-screen movies through to soap operas and football matches should be viewed in much brighter light than is currently the case, otherwise the conditions will prevent the eyes from seeing the screen at its optimum definition.

Not only will this reduce the effectiveness of the millions splashed out on special effects, lighting and digital technology by the directors of Hollywood blockbusters, it will also break a million teenage hearts.

Professor David Manning, Professor of Medical Imaging at University of Cumbria, and Professor Patrick Brennan, of University College Dublin, made the link as a bi-product of a medical research programme.

The true purpose of their work is to optimise the quality of medical images, which reduces the instances of clinical error when reading x-rays and scans.

This in turn could save lives by increasing accuracy of diagnoses and has operational uses in medical efforts to identify early signs of cancer.

Professor Manning said ideally, ambient light should be adapted to the brightness of the screen, for the eye to pick up as much detail as it can.

• Is anyone going to own up to kissing on the back row - or is that all just a myth? Would you want to watch a film in the cinema with the lights on? Tell us below