People with tattoos are more aggressive, study finds

People with tattoos are more likely to be aggressive than their non-tattooed counterparts, according to a new study.

Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University led the study which found a link between ink and ire. Swami is a professor of social psychology and was curious to see if getting tattoos led to other rebellious behaviour, saying: "We found that tattooed adults had significantly higher reactive rebelliousness, but not proactive rebelliousness, compared with non-tattooed adults. "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." Strangely, while the study found a link between tattoos and rebellion, Swami says participants were still more likely to rebel in direct repsonse to something that happened to them rather than just rebel generally. "There were no significant differences between tattooed and non-tattooed adults in proactive rebelliousness," he explained. "It is possible that this form of rebelliousness, which is hedonistic and goal-driven, is at odds with the pain and permanence of tattoos."