Work

Ink and Identity: Personality perceptions based on tattoos

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: People with and without tattoos are often judged differently, but previous research often neglects the type and characteristics of tattoos. We examined these questions in 274 adults (Mage = 24.59, SD = 7.17; 71.2% women; 77.2% White) with 375 tattoos who agreed to have their tattoos photographed for the study and completed a battery of personality measures. Although there was consensus about the personalities of people who had a particular tattoo (i.e., judges agreed in their perceptions of people with tattoos), these judgments were largely inaccurate, with a few exceptions. Specifically, judgments of openness to experience (based solely on tattoos) were modestly accurate and attributable to how “wacky” the tattoo was.

Source: Journal of Research in Personality

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2025.104629

Authors: Brooke Soulliere, William J. Chopik, Alejandro Carrillo, W.Keith Campbell, Brandon Weiss, Joshua D. Miller

Institutions: Michigan State University, University of Michigan, University of Georgia, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Language: English

Topic: Tattoo and Body Piercing Complications

Subfield: Cultural Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4411315278

FWCI:

Cites: 55

Cited by:

Related to: 10