6 Benefits to Tattoos That May Surprise You

It’s officially summer with the passing of the Summer solstice last weekend on June 20th so I think it’s a great time to do a light, fun post that’s a little different from my other posts. Checkout some hidden advantages you get when you have tattoos:

1. Having multiple tattoos can actually improve your immune system

The American Journal of Human Biology did a study in 2016 showing that tattoos can improve your immune system. Getting a tattoo evokes an immune response, when you have multiple tattoos you’re essentially exercising your immune system. This stimulus can actually strengthen your immune system over time. In the article they show that people with more tattoos have an immune system that is more accustomed to soft tissue damage and has a better response than people without multiple tattoos.  

2. Having tattoos can lower your stress 

Most people who get tattoos probably relate to this one but there’s actually more to it than just the joy you feel when leaving a tattoo shop with new ink. The study mentioned above also looked at the cortisol levels of people with many tattoos against people without tattoos. Cortisol is the stress hormone that causes that tense feeling. They found that people with multiple tattoos actually have lower cortisol levels long after the tattoos have healed. 

3. Cannibals don’t like tattoos

Infamous serial killer and cannibal Jeffery Dahmer once said, “I ate someone with a tattoo once. Once. The ink… made [it] taste like shit. Eat garlic to avoid vampires, get tattooed to avoid cannibals.” So there you go, if you’ve gotten a tattoo at least one cannibal has no interest in you. This is a bit of a myth since I guess every cannibal is different? (at least according to my research into this one) but it’s definitely applicable to the American serial killer. 

4. Tattooing can be Medicinal

Tattooing is an old practice that spans centuries, some mummies have even been found with tattoos. Though most don’t have images but ink found tattooed on pressure points. I’m not going to dive too deep into this one as I’ve already written a 2300 word article on medicinal tattooing so go checkout, Medicinal and Therapeutic Ancient Tattooing in the Arctic.

5. Tattoos can actually help you get hired in some places

Companies looking to get ahead with their younger audience actually have started hiring people with tattoos over people without them. As tattoos are becoming more mainstream they’re also becoming an advantage you could provide over someone without them. Keep in mind that there are different sectors of the labour industry and different communities. I don’t know how much tattoos will help you find employment in Grande Prairie, but bigger cities and especially the fashion industry are taking the first step forward as tattoos normalize.

6. There are can be mental health benefits

The Journal of Body Image posted a study showing that 82% of people who have gotten tattoos report having significantly less anxiety and dissatisfaction with their body image in the weeks following a tattoo. Please be conscious that getting tattooed is not a solution or fix for mental health. The study also shows that these effects can decrease over time and usually involve multiple tattoos.

Sources:

• “7 Astonishing Health Benefits Of Tattoos.” Doing Tattoo, 13 Aug. 2020, www.doingtattoo.com/7-astonishing-health-benefits-of-tattoos/.
• “7 Incredible Scientific Health Benefits of Tattoos.” Chronic Ink, 31 July 2019, www.chronicinktattoo.com/blog/7-scientific-health-benefits-tattoos/.
• Lynn, Christopher D., et al. “Tattooing to ‘Toughen up’: Tattoo Experience and Secretory Immunoglobulin A.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 4 Mar. 2016, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajhb.22847.
• Miller, Korin. “The Mental Health Benefits of Tattoos, According to Psychologists.” Yahoo!, Yahoo!,

Gatekeeper

Hi there! I'm Taylor, you may know me as Sterling Skull reception, or gatekeeper, or most recently Tater (thanks Chris). I love writing, creating and I love tattoos; so what better way to use my passions than to bring you a personal experience of our studio via a blog! Welcome, please stay a while!