A new study led by Michigan State University provides insights into the personality perceptions surrounding tattooed individuals. As tattoos become more mainstream, this research sheds light on how specific tattoos are judged — and shows how wrong those judgements can be. 

This study, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, is the first to look at people’s judgements of specific tattoos.

“We found that people did tend to rate the personalities of tattooed people consistently. So, when people saw a tattoo, they tended to think at least similarly in what they assumed the person was like,” said William Chopik, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Psychology. “However, the accuracy of these assumptions does not align with reality for most traits.”