Impulsive and inked: Laurier study looks at psychology behind tattoos

Tattoos are becoming more and more common across North America, but a new study shows getting some ink may mean you’re a tad bit impulsive, and not that concerned about the future.

Bradley Ruffle is a Professor of Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University and conducted the study with Psychology Professor Anne Wilson.

He says their study looked at the time preferences of tattooed and non-tattooed individuals.

“Tattoos have become very common in the last decade or so – where just a few generations ago, they were very uncommon .. and most people that had tattoos had probably done jail time or served in the navy. So there is still some leftover biases against tattooed people. So because they’ve now caught on, and their is still an age-gap in perceptions, we wanted to look at what goes into that decision to get a tattoo in the first place.”

Ruffle says through their study, they measured how some people are willing to trade off the receipt of a smaller payment now, in order to receive a larger payment in the future – and how that correlates with tattoos.

Their findings show that people with ink, particularly visible ink, are more impulsive and short-sighted than people without.

“Our survey participants chose between a series of options in which they could receive a smaller amount of pay within a day or a larger payment in three weeks. What we found was that individuals who have one or more visible tattoos are more reluctant to give up a smaller sum of money now in exchange for a larger sum of money in the future. Whereas individuals with no tattoos are willing to exchange a smaller amount now for a larger amount in the future.”

Ruffle says the study also found that those with one or more visible tattoos are more impatient, or present-oriented.

“That finding doesn’t apply to those with hidden tattoos though, and it turns out that women that have only hidden tattoos are no more present-oriented than women without tattoos.”

It seems women are more likely to get some ink as well – as more women have tattoos than men.

“One explanation for that is it seems to be more acceptable in our society for women to adorn themselves with jewellery, makeup, and other things – as opposed to men. So it’s a less risky decision, and more socially acceptable, for a woman to get a tattoo.”

Ruffle says tattoos are becoming so common in the world today that employers may need to change their views on body art – adding that showing impulsive attributes isn’t a bad trait anyway.

“Employers should judge the individual, and not what an individual looks like. And even though our study shows a link to impulsivity – that’s not a bad thing. Impulsivity correlates with fast-decision making, not hesitating.. and those are good things in some professions.”

Particularly for athletes – as Ruffle says tattoos signal decisiveness, so visible ink may be a good sign of split-decision making skills, like whether to shoot or pass.

At the same time, Ruffle says if you are pursuing a career where tattoos may not be viewed as acceptable – think about getting a hidden one, and think about it hard.

“If you think your tattoo may not be well-regarded, our advice is to get a hidden one, or one that can be readily covered up, and maybe wait to get it until you’re well-established in your profession. Another thing we found in the study was that people that got tattoos on a whim, maybe not surprisingly, seem to be the most impulsive and short-sighted – as compared to those who contemplated their tattoos for some time.”

Looking to the future, Ruffle says they’d like to continue the study – and look at factors other than impulsivity, and present and future-orientations.

You can read more about the WLU survey and its findings by clicking here.