March 19, 2026, 10:30 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Tattoos or no tattoos—a question of personality? Is there perhaps some truth to the stereotypes about people with tattoos? In their search for answers, researchers from Cyprus made some interesting discoveries.
Tattoos have long entered the mainstream. Yet, persistent prejudices remain, such as the belief that tattooed individuals are more impulsive or risk-taking. What is certain is that tattoos serve social and psychological functions. They signal status, belonging, serve self-expression, and aesthetic purposes. Free spirit or rebel? Researchers at the University of Nicosia wanted to know more and investigated whether and to what extent tattoos are associated with certain personality traits. The current findings, published in the journal “Scientific Reports,” paint a much more nuanced picture than the previously sparse study landscape.1
280 Men and Women Surveyed in Cyprus
The study involved 280 adults aged 18 to 64. Participants were recruited on the university campus and at nearby public places such as cafes. Nearly 60 percent of them had at least one tattoo. They were above-average educated, more likely to be single, and the gender ratio was balanced. To assess personality, the researchers used an established psychological questionnaire (PID-5-BF) that measures five key personality dimensions:
- Unusual thought and perception patterns
- Negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, insecurity)
- Social withdrawal
- Antagonism (e.g., conflict readiness)
- Impulsivity (spontaneous, volatile behavior)
Do Tattoos Really Say Something About Personality?
Initially, the researchers compared tattooed and non-tattooed participants. And indeed, people with one or more tattoos differ slightly on average from those without tattoos, particularly in terms of impulsivity. However, the differences were not particularly large and are therefore not very significant. The researchers went a bit “deeper under the skin” with their study design. Using a “Tattoo Coverage Tool,” participants marked on a body sketch which areas were tattooed. From this, the percentage of tattooed body surface was calculated.
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Size Matters
Thanks to this innovative perspective, things got interesting. It mattered less how many tattoos someone had and more how much space they occupied. The larger the total tattooed area and thus the individual motifs, the more two of the previously suspected traits appeared: impulsivity and conflict readiness. The researchers explain it this way: Impulsivity, or the tendency for spontaneous behavior, might be the reason for getting tattooed in the first place. The tendency for conflicts might be related to the decision to get more tattoos. However, this is just a hypothesis. There is no evidence for it.
No Basis for Prejudices!
The sample is limited, conducted at a single point in time, and restricted to the population of a single island. Additionally, the data is entirely based on self-reports. Despite interesting insights, biases cannot be ruled out. Conclusion: Tattoos are certainly not a reliable indicator of a person’s personality. The differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals are minor on average and overlap significantly. However, certain personality traits might lead people to get tattoos. It’s a shame that positive aspects of tattoos for personality, such as identity, creativity, or cultural significance, were not considered.