Comparison of Behavioral Cerebral Systems in Tattooed and Non-tattooed Substance-Dependent Individuals

Background: Tattoos or stencils on the body have a special charm for the people of different cultures. The fact that such stencils are considered attractive and essential to some people from a specific culture has led to the conclusion that there might be factors which make tattooing attractive to someone. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine and compare behavioral activation system (BAS), behavioral inhibition system (BIS), and fight-or-flight system between tattooed and non-tattooed substance-dependent individuals. Methods: Using convenience sampling method, this study included 146 substance-dependent individuals (73 tattooed and 73 nontattooed) referring to Baharan rehabilitation center in Zahedan, Iran. Data collection was done by the short form of the Gray–Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ), and data were analyzed by independent t-test. Results: According to the results of GWPQ, in BIS, in tattooed individuals, extinction and total scores of avoidance was significantly higher than non-tattooed. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between BAS and fight-or-flight system. Conclusions: While BAS is associated with positive emotions, BIS is associated with negative emotions. The tattoo seems to be a sign of special personality characteristics and can be used as a way to extinction the emotions and avoiding to deal with pejorative emotions.