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What Your Tattoo Says About You?

• Julia
• 11.12.2022
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Everything About Your Tattoo Says Something – A tattoo is like a snapshot of an idea, feeling, or memory that you want to carry with you forever. It’s visual proof that something—or someone—really happened. Whether you get the tattoo because you’re afraid you might forget or because you know you never will, your tattoo is full of meaning.

It just speaks to you. And it might “speak” to anyone who sees it, too. Like it or not, a tattoo does “say” something about its wearer. Like any choice of clothing or hairstyle, if it’s on you and it’s visible, it is something people will read into.

Even if it doesn’t involve text, its placement, size, color, style, and the image itself will all convey various ideas and impressions to anyone who looks at your tattoo. Interpreting and reading between the lines is just human nature. Still, there are some old-fashioned ideas and impressions about tattoos and tattooed people that are no longer valid.

• Although some stigmas still exist, especially against tattooed women , perceptions about tattoos have eased dramatically in the last 20 years;
• Recent studies and statistics show dramatic shifts in perceptions;

Below, you’ll find out what a tattoo really says about a person.

What does having a tattoo say about a person?

Having tattoos isn’t necessarily a bad thing (though it can cause some health issues. )  Past studies have shown that employer bias doesn’t really exist, meaning having tattoos won’t inhibit you from getting a job. Sometimes, they can look really cool and give you an appeal compared to someone without them.

What personality type gets tattoos?

Author:  Sophia Carter – Institution:  Whitworth University ABSTRACT Research supports personality differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals. However, few studies have investigated whether any of these differences are associated with positive indicators for tattooed individuals.

In this study, personality differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals in three of the Big Five personality areas considered critical to successful employees in the workforce were examined.

Previous research has established that higher levels of conscientiousness and extraversion coupled with lower levels of neuroticism are indicators of high-quality employees. The present study attempts to augment this line of research by adding the dimension of tattoos; investigating whether individuals with tattoos report more positive personality indicators in these dimensions than individuals without tattoos.

Thus it was hypothesized that tattooed individuals would report higher levels of conscientiousness and extraversion and lower levels of neuroticism than non-tattooed individuals. For this purpose,  N  = 521 individuals completed an online survey, which included the 44-Question Big Five Inventory.

An independent sample t -test revealed a statistically significant difference between tattooed ( M  = 3. 41,  SD  = 0. 77) and non-tattooed ( M  = 3. 21,  SD  = 0. 83) groups in the Big Five personality area of extraversion,  t  (521) = 0. 39,  p  =. 004,  d  = 0.

1. 25;
2. There were no other statistically significant differences;
3. These findings indicate that tattooed individuals may be better employees than previously believed, as the extraversion component of the Big Five Inventory, has been found to be a critical indicator of successful job performance;

INTRODUCTION Tattoos have increased in popularity over the last two decades; almost one in five people across all age groups had a tattoo as of 2012, and one in ten people have two or more tattoos (Swami et al. , 2012). Nearly 40% of young adults (18-25) have at least one tattoo, whereas only 15-16% of members of this age group in 1990 were tattooed (Swami et al.

, 2012). Despite the increase in tattoos within younger generations, tattooed individuals face discrimination, negative stigma, and lower levels of employment than their non-tattooed counterparts (Horne, Knox, Zusman, & Zusman, 2007).

Very little research has examined whether individuals with tattoos score differently than non-tattooed individuals on scales measuring personality traits perceived as positive. This study seeks to address this gap by identifying personality differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals and the potential implications of those differences for employment.

Historically, the traits associated with tattooed individuals have depended significantly on the culture and circumstances of those individuals. Captain Cook explored Polynesia in 1769 and observed the social and spiritual significance of tattoos in Polynesian culture.

The location of a tattoo on an individual’s body and the specific tattoo design displayed social, hierarchal, and genealogical information about the owner of the tattoo, as well as signaling particular aspects of his or her character (Parry, 1933). Tattooing was considered a sacred ceremony, and most tattoos were thought to fetch spiritual power, protection, and strength.

1. Almost every Polynesian individual had tattoos, and many of Captain Cook’s men left their voyage with a permanent memento of their expedition, which was considered a great honor (Parry, 1933);
2. Similarly, Native Americans report a long and extensive history of traditional tattoos;

Depending on the tribe, tattoos could signal hierarchy or a specific role within the tribe, mark a warrior’s prowess in battle, or be considered marks of beauty (Littell, 2003). Since then, through the shift towards Western culture and through changing definitions of art, tattoos have become more associated with criminals and the sexually promiscuous (Wohlrab, Fink, & Kappeler, 2005).

1. Recent studies have shown there are still many stereotypes attached to individuals with tattoos: academic struggle, broken homes, traumatic childhoods, rarely or never attending church, poor decision-making skills, and susceptibility to peer pressure (Roberts & Ryan, 2002);

However, these stereotypes may not accurately represent the current tattoo climate. Forty percent of 26 to 40-year-olds now have a tattoo, closely followed by 36% of 18 to 25-year-olds (Swami et al. , 2012). The rising popularity of tattoos among young to middle aged individuals suggests that tattoos may hold different significance sociologically, biologically, and socially than they have throughout the previous century (Wohlrab et al.

, 2005). Research is mixed on whether the negative stereotypes associated with tattoos are accurate. A study completed in 2007 in Germany evaluating tattooed and non-tattooed individuals using a Big Five Personality Inventory found that tattooed individuals scored higher on the subscale of extraversion, and lower on the subscale of neuroticism (Wohlrab, 2007).

More recently, a 2012 study of 540 individuals from Austria and Germany examined Big Five personality traits in participants, as well as a need for uniqueness, sensation seeking, self-esteem, religious and spiritual belief, and demographic variables. The researchers in this study concluded that not only do those with tattoos have higher levels of need for uniqueness, sensation seeking, and thrill and adventure seeking, but they have lower levels of self-esteem, attend religious services less, and are generally much less educated than individuals who did not have tattoos (Swami et al.

, 2012). For decades, businesses have attempted to identify personality traits that predict a successful employee. When United States federal law banned the use of polygraphs for employee selection in 1988, hirers began using personality surveys as the primary method for making hiring decisions (Stabile, 2013).

Job interviewers now ask questions designed to reveal components of an individual’s personality in order to evaluate where that individual would best fit within the company structure, how committed to the job the individual would be, and their likelihood of advancing through the company ranks (Wohlrab, 2007).

However, studies as late as 2010 have shown that despite this shift to personality-based hiring, companies still discard potential employees on the basis of their tattoos (Burgess, & Clark 2010). Researchers have also attempted to determine personality traits capable of predicting successful employees.

A 2014 ten-year longitudinal study of over 8,000 individuals working within multiple big business companies revealed that there is a significant statistical difference between the managerial and working classes in three Big Five personality dimensions: neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness (Palaiou & Furnham, 2014).

Conscientiousness was shown to be the best predictor of overall successful job performance and individuals who scored higher in this dimension tended to be more achievement oriented (Li, Barrick, Zimmerman, & Chiabaru, 2014).

Neuroticism successfully predicted poor work performance; the lower the levels of neuroticism, the higher the level of performance from the employee (Barrick, Mount, & Judge, 2001). Finally, higher levels of extraversion were linked to higher levels of task performance and proactivity (Pearsall & Ellis, 2006).

This study attempts to augment the area of research pertaining to tattooed individuals’ personality traits by investigating whether tattooed individuals differ significantly when compared to their non-tattooed peers in areas related to successful employee traits.

It was hypothesized that tattooed individuals would score higher in conscientiousness and extraversion and lower in neuroticism as measured by the Big Five Inventory. MATERIALS AND METHODS Participants Participants were recruited through a campus-wide e-mail at Whitworth University, Facebook psychology groups, and global online psychology research forums.

Participation was entirely voluntary, and participants could complete the study on their own time at their own pace. 521 individuals completed the survey, 411 females and 110 males, aged from 18 to 62 years old.

Materials Participants completed an online version of the 44-Question Big Five Inventory (John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991) followed by basic demographic questions addressing age, sex, education level, and university affiliation of the participant. Participants were also asked if they had any tattoos.

• Participants with tattoos were asked to indicate the size and location of those tattoos;
• The survey measured the Big Five areas of personality: openness to experience, neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness;

For example, questions measuring conscientiousness asked the participant to rate statements such as: “I am someone who does a thorough job” or “I am a reliable worker” on a five-point Likert scale. Items measuring neuroticism stated, “I am someone who remains calm in tense situations” and “I am someone who is emotionally stable, not easily upset”.

1. Finally, items related to extraversion included statements such as “I am someone who is talkative” and “I am someone who is full of energy” (John et al;
2. , 1991);
3. Participants were asked to rate their agreement with a series of such statements on a five-point Likert on a scale of one (“strongly disagreeing”) to five (“strongly agreeing”);

The Big Five Inventory has scored between 0. 73 – 0. 82 on Cronbach’s alpha test over the course of its development, giving it a high degree of internal consistency and thus, reliability (Schmitt et al. , 2007). The survey contained nine questions regarding conscientiousness, eight questions regarding neuroticism, and eight questions regarding extraversion.

1. The three personality subscales of conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism were scored using a formula that calculated a numerical value for each personality dimension by adding each individual’s selected scores on the Likert scale, which were then averaged between all participants for an overall mean;

RESULTS A total of N  =521 individuals completed the survey. Of that 521, 411 were female and 110 were male. Participant age varied from 18 to 68 years old. Participants were current students or alumni from 54 universities of various sizes in both rural and urban locations throughout the United States.

1. Two hundred sixty-six (51%) identified themselves as having no tattoos and two hundred fifty-five (49%) identified themselves as having tattoos;
2. A two-tailed independent sample t -test revealed no statistically significant difference in levels of conscientiousness between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals ( p  =;

30; Figure 1). Like conscientiousness, a two-tailed independent sample t-test revealed no statistically significance difference on the neuroticism personality scale between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals ( p  =. 53; Figure 1). Results revealed a statistically significant result regarding extraversion.

A two-tailed independent sample t-test revealed a statistically significance difference between tattooed individuals ( M  = 3. 41,  SD  = 0. 77) and non-tattooed individuals ( M  = 3. 21,  SD  = 0. 83,  p  =.

004; Figure 1). DISCUSSION The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there were positive traits associated with individuals who have tattoos. It was proposed that tattooed individuals would score higher on the conscientiousness and extraversion domains and lower on the neuroticism domain as measured by the Big Five Inventory than their non-tattooed peers.

1. Tattooed individuals scored significantly higher in extraversion than their non-tattooed peers, but there were no significant differences in conscientiousness or neuroticism between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals;

Though tattooed individuals did not differ significantly in two of the three areas tested in this study, the significant difference in extraversion suggests that those individuals with one or more tattoos may display higher levels of task performance and proactivity in the business world (Pearsall & Ellis, 2006).

A growing body of literature suggests tattooed individuals display different personality traits than their non-tattooed counterparts, and this study lends further support to this hypothesis. Specifically, the present study supports the findings from several other studies that tattooed individuals consistently score higher in extraversion than their non-tattooed peers (e.

, Stirn, Hinz, & Brahler, 2006; Swami, 2012; Swami et al. , 2012 Wohlrab, Stahl, Rammsayer, & Kappeler, 2007). This study may be limited by the high proportion of female participants ( n  = 411) compared to and male participants n  = 110). A study in which males and females are equally represented could be better extrapolated to the general public.

However, a similar study, performed in 2012 with 45. 6% male participants found very similar results to the present study; tattooed individuals scored significantly higher than non-tattooed individuals in extraversion, but did not score differently in any of the other Big Five personality dimensions (Swami et al.

, 2012). Future research should be conducted with a more age-diverse sample, as the present study had a mean age of 24. 47 years old. Though this study lends itself well to explaining the personality attributes of the younger generation, it does not shed any light onto the baby boomer generation, who are currently the individuals holding CEO, managerial, and most importantly, hiring positions over the younger population (Odgers Berndtson, 2012).

Over the next decade, a mass exodus of baby boomers is expected to occur, leaving open positions for the younger generation (Odgers Berndtson, 2012). However, if baby boomers are still utilizing stigmatized hiring criteria regarding tattoos, they are excluding a class of individuals who are more proactive and task performance oriented than their age-matched peers (Pearsall & Ellis, 2006).

Gathering more research regarding generational differences in personality attributes and attitudes towards tattoos may have the potential to change current hiring criteria. Additionally, examining the final two personality domains (agreeableness and openness to experience) in the Big Five Inventory may lead to further information regarding the relationship between tattoos and personality, which could divulge more information regarding desirable characteristics in employees.

1. Agreeableness has been correlated with success in several specific job fields, such as those that require considerable interpersonal interaction;
2. Similarly, the openness to experience dimension has predicted success in fields where teamwork and training performance are important (Barrick et al;

, 2001). Finally, associations between tattoos and personality could be further explored by examining whether the effect is binary (tattoo vs. non-tattoo) or a gradient (influenced by the quantity of tattoos). Tattooing has rapidly become a prevalent phenomenon in western culture.

1. It may therefore be time to reexamine the stigma attached to hiring tattooed individuals;
2. Extraversion, which indicates higher levels of task performance and proactivity in a job setting (Pearsall & Ellis, 2006), is starting, through recent research, to become associated with tattooed individuals;

The business industry stands to gain quality employees who may be well suited to long-term success and significant contributions to the company if hiring criteria regarding tattoos were to be reassessed (Sackett, Burris, & Ryan, 1989). REFERENCES

1. Barrick, M. , Mount, M. , & Judge, T. (2001). Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium. What do we know and where do we go next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9 , 9-30.
2. Burgess, M. , & Clark, L. (2010). Do the “savage origins” of tattoos cast a prejudicial shadow on contemporary tattooed individuals? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40 , 746-764.
3. Horne, J. , Knox, D. , Zusman, J. , and Zusman, M. (2007) Tattoos and piercings: Attitudes, behaviours, and interpretations of college students. College Student Journal, 41 , 1011-1020.
4. John, O. , Donahue, E. , & Kentle, R. (1991). The Big Five Inventory–Versions 4a and 54. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Personality and Social Research.
5. Li, N. , Barrick, M. , Zimmerman, R. , & Chiabaru, D. (2014). Retaining the productive employee: The role of personality. The Academy of Management Annals, 8 , 347-395.
6. Littell, A. (2003). The illustrated self: Construction of meaning through tattoo images and their narratives (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest database. (Order No. AAI3077541).
7. Odgers Berndtson. (2012). After the Baby Boomers: A Next Generation of Leadership [Brochure]. London: England, Cass Business School.
8. Palaiou, K. & Furnham, A. (2014). Are bosses unique? Personality facet differences between CEOs and staff in five work sectors. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 66 , 173-196.
9. Parry, A. (1933). Tattoo; Secrets of a strange art as practiced among the natives of the United States. Madison, WI: Simon and Schuster.
10. Pearsall, M. , & Ellis, A. (2006). The effects of critical team member assertiveness on team performance and satisfaction. Journal of Management, 32 , 575-594.
11. Roberts, T. , & Ryan, S. (2002). Tattooing and high risk behavior in adolescents. Pediatrics, 110 , 1058-1063.
12. Sackett PR, Burris LR, Ryan AM. (1989). Coaching and practice effects in personnel selection. In Coo per CL, Robertson IT (Eds. ), International review of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 145–183). New York: Wiley.
13. Schmitt, D. , Allik, J. , McCrae, R. , Benet-Martínez, V. , Alcalay, L. , & Ault, L. (2007). The geographic distribution of Big Five personality traits: Patterns and profiles of human self-description across 56 nations. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38 , 173–212.
14. Stabile, S. (2013). The use of personality tests as a hiring tool: Is the benefit worth the cost?. University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law, 4 , 279-288.
15. Stirn, A. , Hinz, A. , & Brahler, E. (2006). Prevalence of tattooing and body piercing in Germany and perception of health, mental disorders, and sensation seeking among tattooed and body-pierced individuals. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60 , 531-534
16. Swami, V. (2012). Written on the body? Individual differences between British adults who do and do not obtain a first tattoo. Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology, 53 , 407-412.
17. Swami, V. , Pietschnig, J. , Bertl, B. , Nader, I. , Stieger, S. , & Voracek, M. (2012). Personality differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals. Psychological Reports, 111 , 97-106.
18. Tate, J. , & Shelton, B. (2008) Personality correlates of tattooing and body piercing in a college sample: the kids are alright. Personality and Individual Differences, 45 , 281-285.
19. Wohlrab, S. (2007). Differences in personality characteristics between body-modified and non-modified individuals: Associations with individual personality traits and their possible evolutionary implications. European Journal Of Personality, 21 , 931-951.
20. Wohlrab, S. , Fink, B. , & Kappeler, P. (2005). Human body ornaments from an evolutionary perspective – Diversity and function of tattoos, piercings, and scarification. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft Wein, 134/135 , 1-10.
21. Wohlrab, S. , Stahl, J. , Rammsayer, T. , & Kappeler, P. (2007) Differences in personality characteristics between body modified and nonmodified individuals and possible evolutionary implications. European Journal of Personality, 21 , 931-951.

What is the psychology behind tattoos?

So why are tattoos so popular? – Tattoos can symbolize a life story. In some cases, tattoos help process traumatic life events, like loss of a family member or close friend. It can also be a personal adventure. Researchers around the world who study human behaviors have been interested in finding out what makes people modify their body.

Should a tattoo have meaning?

But it’s not necessary for tattoos to have a specific interpretation or symbolism in order to be significant to you. And even if it is insignificant to you, all that matters is that you chose to get it because you liked it and wanted it on your body.

Do tattoos mean mental illness?

Abstract – Psychiatric disorders, such as antisocial personality disorder, drug or alcohol abuse and borderline personality disorder, are frequently associated with tattoos. Finding a tattoo on physical examination should alert the physician to the possibility of an underlying psychiatric condition.

Do tattoos have energy?

Tattoos: Open portals into your energy field      Now that getting inked is more mainstream, there needs to be awareness as to how tattoos link into your subtle body energy field. Your tattoo is going to connect you with something permanently, so being mindful as to why you want to be inked should be the first decision you make before getting a tattoo.

Your intentions should be set beyond the watermark of vanity, and you should consider art that will enhance your frequency, and fit into the framework of your beliefs. Sometimes a tattoo represents a certain milestone in your life, or it may serve as a reminder of something you have accomplished, so ask yourself if you want your tattoos to serve as a body map showing your stops along the way.

A lot of people choose images that represent their profession, group affiliations, and names of lovers. Some people identify with their animal totem and choose an image that transfers the power of that animal onto their body and into their energy field.

Whatever you choose, the intention behind your choice will influence your consciousness in either raucous, or illusive ways. Intentions are such a powerful tool and where we put our focus is where we create our experienced reality.

I know a group of women who wanted to get tattoos of ribbons to support cancer. One of the women in the group didn’t want the tattoo because she felt that it would be too much focus on the illness and she feared co-creating it in her own body. Your beliefs are what initially charge the tattoo.

Sometimes tattoos can shift your energy field into a higher vibration and make you feel better about yourself, for instance, if you want to camouflage a scar so you won’t feel self-conscious. Intentionally looking for an invigorating image might lead you to choose a mandala tattoo inked with blue and green hues to promote energy for healing, whereas tattoo art featuring sharp teeth, or something macabre, may feed the fear embodied in the scar and produce a frequency that incites the area instead of muting it.

Always be cognizant of the colors which in themselves are expressed energy frequencies. Sometimes you will be drawn to colors that resonate with your aura, or be attracted to colors that your energy field needs for enrichment. Tattoos take on the vibrations from your intention, image, and also the colors you choose for ink.

• Looking at tattoos through the metaphysical lens, the desires, and intentions, behind getting body art are triggered by deep cellular memory;
• Tattoos give us a window into the soul and the images we are drawn to may be links into the subconscious, dreams, or past life incarnations, especially the tribal and face tattoos;

On a deep level we are drawn to art that represents who we are, or we want images to give us what we feel we lack, and use the tattoo as an enhancement for our own energy. Intention is the moving force behind the vibration of your tattoo and the emotion behind it will always lend a massive amount of power to its effect.

Meditation is a good way to get clear on what you want, and set the intention behind getting tattooed. I’m not suggesting that you Zen out (although that is a good idea) but take the time to strongly imagine the tattoo energy on your skin.

Burn incense, sage your space, creatively doodle pictures, and look at images to see what strongly resonates to you. Ask yourself what the tattoo will represent to you? Do you see it as a personal expression, or are you getting it just because other people will think it is cool? Does it embody an archetype with whom you strongly identify, or are you exposing your shadow.

Big question-How will your tattoo personally empower you? Don’t kid yourself about tats because they have a way of attracting energy toward you. The metals in the ink give the tattoo permanence but in an esoteric sense, these same metals magnetize the design leaving it a charged body talisman.

Your body is your sacred space, and where you put your tattoo is where you are putting your desires and holding energy points that give off a unique frequency. This is why your intention has to be clear or you will be anchoring nebulous energy into your body, mind, and spirit.

See your intention as the beginning point of the tattoo ritual. Yes, I did say ritual, because there is a process to mindfully getting a tattoo. Carefully determine what design you want inked because creating art, in the mystical sense, has manifesting abilities.

Imagery starts with what you see through the mind’s eye that directly links into your consciousness. There is a bit of creative visualization in designing your tattoo and it will carry the meaning you put into it. The law of attraction also works for tattoos, because what you intently set into motion will attract the same thing back to you.

Tattoos go beyond skin deep-they go soul deep, and are very revealing. Tattoos are energy hot spots because the ritual of wounding the skin and drawing blood releases intense energy that becomes part of the tattoo.

Keep these points in mind as you contemplate getting inked. ·        intention ·        desire ·        purpose ·        permanency ·        portal      Once you decide to get a tattoo, choosing the artist and the shop is more important than you may realize.

Aside from looking at the quality of their work, the artist’s energy essence will also be part of your tattoo. Getting inked is a very intimate experience. It is a spiritual vehicle for transmitting energy, because an invisible cord attaches the tattooist’s energy into yours.

In a sense, tattooing is a magic ritual that creates images, draws blood, which is our life force, and also creates a symbolic bond between you and the artist. There are many tattooists who honor getting inked and see it as a form of spiritual therapy that helps you express yourself in a creative way.

Some shops really get into creating the perfect atmosphere for getting tattooed and they burn incense, and sage, to keep away negative energy. Your tattoo artist is, in a sense, a quasi-Shaman performing a ritual and some tattooist help you choose a design, as well as the location of your tattoo, based on your aura in order to enhance positive energy for you.

Keep in mind that from the metaphysical perspective, tattoos are an energy portal into your subtle body, and starting out with unacceptable conditions can mark you with a negatively charged tattoo that can cause a disturbance in your energy field. Your tattooist will be imbuing their energy into your subtle body so be cognoscente of what you are sensing from them.

1. Don’t insist on a design that they are not comfortable inking onto your skin;
2. Do you really want that energy tagged into your tattoo? Once you finally decide to take the plunge, you should also carefully choose where you go to get your tattoo;

You may be somewhat prepared for a little pain or possibly a design that doesn’t turn out exactly as you had envisioned, but you most likely didn’t give too much thought to the safety of your energy field. You not only absorb the energy of the tattooist, but also the parlor, that is a harbor for residual energy left behind from other people getting inked.

• Their excitement, fears, and desires, are all components of highly charged energy, so much so, that you can almost hear the walls talk;
• Emotional energy is very transmissible and you can unknowingly take it into your subtle body;

I wonder how many of us with tattoos are aware of the modern day alchemy inked onto and into our skin. The underbelly of the art is pure mysticism. It all starts with our original intention which readies the skin canvass for getting tattooed. Namaste! For more information on opening up your unique energy field and extrasensory senses read The Book of Transformation:Open Yourself to Psychic Evolution, the Rebirth of the World, and the Empowering Shift Pioneered by the Indigos https://newpagebooks.

Are tattoos addicting?

– Tattoos have increased in popularity in recent years, and they’ve become a fairly accepted form of personal expression. If you know someone with several tattoos , you may have heard them mention their “tattoo addiction” or talk about how they can’t wait to get another tattoo.

1. Maybe you feel the same way about your ink;
2. It’s not uncommon to hear a love of tattoos referred to as an addiction;
3. Many people believe tattoos can be addictive;
4. (There’s even a television series called “My Tattoo Addiction;

“) But tattoos aren’t addictive, according to the clinical definition of addiction. The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as a pattern of substance use or behavior that’s not easily controlled and can become compulsive over time. You might pursue this substance or activity regardless of the problems it might cause and have trouble thinking about or doing anything else.

1. This description generally doesn’t apply to tattoos;
2. Having a lot of tattoos, planning multiple tattoos, or knowing you want more tattoos doesn’t mean you have an addiction;
3. Many different reasons, some of them psychological, could drive your desire for multiple tattoos, but addiction probably isn’t one of them;

Let’s look more closely at the factors that could be contributing to your desire for more ink.

Are tattoos narcissistic?

In particular, the recurrent dysfunctional traits are anxious, phobic, obsessive, somatic and bipolar in subjects with less than 25% of the body surface covered by tattoos, while borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, sadistic and masochistic traits are more frequent in subjects with more than 26% of the body surface.

Are tattoos attention seeking?

Tattoos and Narcissism – Regardless of personal views, there’s something a little self-obsessed about tattoos, isn’t it? People who get tattoos are very much focused on their self-image. It’s important to them how they are perceived, otherwise they wouldn’t get tattoos in visible places.

Self-image is also important to narcissists. But a narcissist’s self-image is a grandiose projection of a warped and fragile ego, while most inked individuals are simply expressing who they are. Sure, sometimes tattoos are meant to cloak personal insecurities or project a desired trait.

But more than anything, tattoos are artistic representations of our inner world, and what it is about ourselves we consider unique. It’s not the attention-seeking that drives people to get tattoos. It’s the desire to be unique. Tattoo wearers spend a lot of time looking for the right design, the right inscription, the right tattoo artist.

1. It’s very deliberate, with a touch of perfectionism;
2. It can take someone years to find that distinctive design that will set them apart from the crowd;
3. And since inking went mainstream, it’s even harder to have a tattoo that’s one of a kind;

Could that obsession with uniqueness be narcissistic? In a book “Tattoo: Secrets of a Strange Art” author Albert Parry says that people want to get unique tattoos “to express their love for themselves and their proud belief that they are different from other people.

Do tattoos make you hotter?

In a study, women rated tattooed men as healthier but not more attractive than men without tattoos. Men viewed tattooed men as more attractive but not healthier than men without tattoos. Women judged men with tattoos as worse potential parents and partners than men without tattoos.

Do tattoos have health benefits?

Tattoos reduce stress – In addition to immunoglobulin A, the above study also tested for cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone. It was tested in the study because cortisol is an immune response suppressant. Multiple tattoos were found to reduce cortisol levels, improving the immune system benefits of tattoos, but also helping with stress reduction. High levels of cortisol are associated with many of the physical and mental detriments of stress:

• Migraines/headaches
• Increased weight gain
• Inhibited memory & learning
• Elevated blood pressure

And that is just to name a few. The body produces cortisol in an attempt to reduce pain. But the associated effects aren’t always worth this benefit. Multiple tattoos result in the cortisol hormone response to be less active. That means less cortisol is produced, resulting in stress reduction.

Do tattoos help depression?

Suicide, self-injury, and tattoos – Tattooing is an inherently painful ritual that is usually voluntary, with a history of other acts of self-injury and of suicidal ideation sometimes noted anecdotally by recipients. A survey of 432 German adults with tattoos or non-ear body piercings found that 27% of respondents had a history of self-cutting during childhood[ 18 ].

Comparing those with and without a history of self-cutting, self-cutters had the same average number of tattoos, but significantly more piercings. Curiously, some respondents reported feeling “healed” and stopping self-injurious behavior following body modification, leading the authors to hypothesize that some use body modification as a “therapeutic substitute” for “autoaggressive acts”[ 18 ].

However, the inclusion of those with body piercings and the lack of a control group without body modification limits the generalizability of this conclusion to those with tattoos. A possible association between eating disorders, self-injury, and tattoos was explored in a study of 65 female patients referred to a specialized unit for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder[ 19 ].

1. In this sample, a history of self-injury was reported in 51% of patients, while 27% had at least one tattoo;
2. Having a tattoo was significantly associated with a history of burning, supporting the authors’ conclusion that body modification might represent a form of self-punishment among those with eating disorders;

However, 27% of the sample had tattoos and/or piercings without a history of self-injury and this subgroup had more positive feelings towards their bodies, higher levels of self-esteem, and less impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and social dysfunction than those with a history of self-injury.

Therefore, tattoos may sometimes represent positive modifications of body image as opposed to markers of self-injurious behavior. An association between tattoos and suicide was suggested in a study of 134 completed suicides over a 3-year period in Mobile County, Alabama[ 20 ].

In this sample, 21% had one or more tattoos at time of death, with 57% of “young, white suicide” completers having tattoos compared to only 29% for matched accidental deaths. Another study involving a larger series of 438 autopsies in Linn County, Iowa over a 15-year period included 32% subjects with tattoos[ 21 ].

Having a tattoo was associated with a significantly younger age at death and greater risk of death by an unnatural manner ( e. , gunshot wound or drug overdose), but not suicide. Taken together, these small, regional studies offer conflicting evidence for tattoos being associated with suicide.

Both studies did speculate that tattoos might be a potential marker of risk-taking behaviors and substance use that could in turn be associated with early mortality, but larger, epidemiologic studies are needed to more clearly elucidate associations between tattoos, self-injury, and early death.

What is the most common tattoo?

Hearts are also a common tattoo request. – Kapowski said customers often ask for small tattoos of hearts. Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Getty Images Hearts are a simple and universally popular tattoo design that can symbolize love or simply make for fun body art. Kapowski told Insider that people are often interested in getting hearts inked on their hip or behind their ears.

Will I regret getting a tattoo?

It’s not unusual for a person to change their mind after getting a tattoo. In fact, one survey says 75 percent of their 600 respondents admitted to regretting at least one of their tattoos. But the good news is there are things you can do before and after getting a tattoo to lower your chances of regret.

What does a tattoo on wrist mean?

History of the Wrist Tattoo – People love wrist tattoos, and it is easy to see why. These small but stylish tattoos can be very fashionable. Wrist tattoos were first worn by those who adventured in the ocean, with the nautical star being a popular and quite common early design.

1. Believed to guide and protect the wearer, these tattoos were also considered to heal disease;
2. In the 1950s and 60s, members of the gay and lesbian community adapted these tattoos to represent their sexuality;

Today, the wrist is just one of many body parts to be tattooed and holds no associated meaning, although tattoos do often hold deep personal significance. .

Are tattoos a form of self expression?

Using tattoos as a form of self-expression – Tattoos have been used as a form of self-expression since ancient times. One of the most prominent use of tattoo arts was by the warrior clans and chieftains, who used them to showcase their might in battles.

Artists also used tattoos to add mystique to their character or express suppressed feelings like love, anger, hatred, jealousy, or despair. These motivations are also very relevant in today’s world. Most of us wish for a unique personality, which is attractive, expressive and a little mysterious.

However, more than often we entrap our quest for self-discovery by mistakenly adopting the way of life of our idols. Mainly, it is the sense of being insignificant that drives us to do it. This is where the art of tattooing stands apart from other art forms of self-expression, your tattoos are a unique mix of the ideals that inspire and motivate you rather than a copy of someone else’s achievements.

For example, you may end up creating a similar piece of art, music or writing when relying heavily on successful works of others but when getting a tattoo, you are expressing your own opinion rather. Moreover, an individual is more likely to dedicate much time and thought before getting a permanent tattoo as it has to conform with his/her identity at a very personal level.

In the same vein, the placement of the tattoo is also a matter of conscious choice. Not everyone may be comfortable with a visible tattoo, and for them the art may hold intimate value, to be shared with a select few. So, tattoos are not an obscure art form but rather a very clearly defined form of self-expression.

What does the the Bible say about tattoos?

Tattoos have been around for millennia. People got them at least five thousand years ago. Today they’re common everywhere from Maori communities in New Zealand to office parks in Ohio. But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing.

Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves. ” Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning.

But language scholar John Huehnergard and ancient-Israel expert Harold Liebowitz  argue that tattooing was understood differently in ancient times. Huehnergard and Liebowitz note that the appearance of the ban on incisions—or tattoos—comes right after words clearly related to mourning, perhaps confirming the original theory.

And yet, looking at what’s known about death rituals in ancient Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, and Egypt, they find no references to marking the skin as a sign of mourning. They also note that there are other examples in Leviticus and Exodus where two halves of a verse address different issues.

So that could be the case here, too. What tattoos were apparently often used for in ancient Mesopotamia was marking enslaved people (and, in Egypt, as decorations for women of all social classes). Egyptian captives were branded with the name of a god, marking them as belongings of the priests or pharaoh.

But devotees might also be branded with the name of the god they worshiped. Huehnergard and Liebowitz suggest that, given the key role of the escape from Egyptian bondage in ancient Jewish law, the Torah originally banned tattooing because it was “the symbol of servitude.

” Interestingly, though, they write that there’s one other apparent reference to tattooing in the Hebrew Bible. Isaiah 44:5 describes the children of Jacob committing themselves to God: “One shall say, ‘I am the LORD’s’… Another shall mark his arm ‘of the LORD.

‘” Here a tattoo appears to be allowable as a sign of submission, not to a human master but to God. Ancient rabbinic debates produced a variety of different theories about the meaning of the prohibition on tattooing.

Some authorities believed that tattoos were only disallowed if they had certain messages, such as the name of God, the phrase “I am the Lord,” or the name of a pagan deity. Talmudic law developed around 200 CE says that a tattoo is only disallowed if it is done “for the purpose of idolatry”—but not if it’s intended to mark a person’s enslaved status.

Are people with tattoos more aggressive?

Abstract – One stereotype of people with tattoos is that they are more aggressive and rebellious than people without tattoos. However, studies examining differences in these traits between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals are dated and have returned equivocal results.

To re-examine this issue, we asked 378 adults from London, UK, to complete self-report measures of aggression and rebelliousness, and to report the number of tattoos they possessed. Of this sample, 25. 7% possessed at least one tattoo, with no sex difference in the distribution of tattoo status.

We found that tattooed adults had significantly higher reactive rebelliousness, anger, and verbal aggression than non-tattooed adults. However, effect sizes were small and there were also no significant between-group differences in terms of proactive rebelliousness, physical aggression, and hostility.

1. These results suggest that, while stereotypes may contain a kernel of truth, they likely present an outmoded picture of tattooed adults;
2. Keywords: Aggression; Body art; Rebelliousness; Tattoos;
3. Copyright © 2015;

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Are people with tattoos nicer?

Men are Sexier – According to a variety of different dating studies “chicks dig tattoos”. Men that have tattoos are seen as more masculine and therefore sexier. Studies have shown that hormonally, women are attracted during their cycle to perceived masculinity as a ranking of whether a man is suitable as a mate.