New research has been done that has found a link between having a tattoo, and being a bit of an angry person – in case you were wondering whether or not to get that Peter Pan quote indelibly inked onto your arse.
About one in five of us in the UK have a tattoo, and they’ve pretty much lost their aggressive stigma – but a new study conducted by Professor Viren Swami, and reported on by the Guardian, found that tattooed people had a significantly higher reactionary rebellion rate than those who weren't tattoed. He tested 378 people.
Speaking of the experiment, he said: ‘One explanation is that people who have higher reactive rebelliousness may respond to disappointing and frustrating events by getting tattooed.
‘That is, when these individuals experience a negative emotional event, they may be more likely to react by pursuing an act that is seen as defiant. The act of tattooing is perceived as rebellious, or more generally tattoos themselves can signify defiance or dissent.
‘On the other hand, there were no significant differences between tattooed and non-tattooed adults in proactive rebelliousness. It’s possible that this form of rebelliousness, which is hedonistic and goal-driven, is at odds with the pain and permanence of tattoos.’
So getting a tattoo won’t make you angrier – if you have one, you’re more likely to be a bit more angrily reactionary. Go forth and get tattooed, guys.
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Picture: Moodboard/Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.