Tattoos, Piercings, and Academic Success Student Name Mentor Name, Department

1. Tattoos, Piercings, and Academic Success Student Name Mentor Name, Department Introduction Until recently, tattoos and piercings were not popular in most of society. A commonly held view was that people who had tattoos were either in the military or were criminals. Further, there was a stereotype that tattoos and piercings were associated with the bottom half of society. This stereotype is changing. Nevertheless, many people still think negatively of tattoos. In 2001, a study by Forbes concluded that people with tattoos did not vary significantly from those without tattoos on factors related to childhood and family experiences, and they also scored similarly to individuals without tattoos on the Big Five personality characteristics. In this same study, however, it was shown that people without tattoos believed that they varied greatly from those with tattoos. In fact, some differences are commonly reported in the literature. For instance, several studies have found a link between body art and a more adventurous personality (Stirn, Hinz, & Brahler, 2006). Burger and Finkle (2002) also reported a positive correlation between body modification and engaging in very high-risk activities. However, surprisingly little research has been conducted examining a possible relationship between tattoos, piercings, and academic success. Research Question The aim of the current study was to examine whether there are relationships between tattoos, piercings, and academic success. We predicted that individuals with more tattoos would also have more piercings. We also predicted that the more piercings and/or tattoos an individual had, the lower their GPA would be. Abstract This study examined whether there is a relationship between the number and location of tattoos and piercings, and college students’ academic success. Participants were recruited from Buffalo State College courses and asked to fill out a short questionnaire. Results showed no relationship between the number of tattoos and GPA. However, results did show a positive relationship between the number of reported tattoos and piercings. In addition, there was a negative relationship between the number of piercings and GPA. Methods Participants One hundred forty one Buffalo State College students, 114 females and 28 males, were recruited to participate in the current study. Materials and Procedure Participants were asked to fill out a short questionnaire which included questions regarding the number and location of tattoos and piercings, academic performance, as well as a number of other factors. Results A significant positive correlation was found between the number of piercings and the number of tattoos (r (140) = 0.246, p< 0.01). No significant relationship was found between the number of tattoos and GPA (r (141) = -0.079, p = 0.352). We also found a significant negative correlation between the number of piercings and GPA (r (140) = -0.180, p< 0.05). Finally, a relationship was found between gender and the number of piercings (r (140) = 0.218, p< 0.01). Discussion As predicted, a positive correlation was found between the number of tattoos and the number of body piercings. As one might expect, an increase in one form of body modification appears to be related to an increase in other forms. In addition, results showed a larger number of piercings in females than in males. Also, as predicted, a negative correlation was found between the number of piercings and GPA. Thus, an increased number of piercings is a predictor of a lack of academic success. However, we did not find a significant relationship between the number of tattoos and GPA. This may be a reflection that tattoos have become common in society and that they are more accepted than piercings in the college setting.