Personality correlates of tattooing and body piercing in a college sample: The kids are alright

A large (N = 1375; 873 women, 502 men) sample of college students completed measures of demographics, body modification (i.e., tattoos and body piercings), and measures of the Big Five personality traits, social desirability, and need for uniqueness. Tattooed participants, as compared to their non-tattooed counterparts, scored significantly lower on agreeableness and conscientiousness and significantly higher on need for uniqueness. Body pierced participants, as compared to their non-pierced counterparts, scored significantly lower on conscientiousness and significantly higher on openness to experience. Although statistically significant, these relationships explain very small amounts of variance and most likely reflect inconsequential real world differences between those with and without these two forms of body modification. Our findings suggest caution when attributing psychopathology to adults who possess tattoos and/or body piercings.