Are Tattoos Good For Your Mental Health?

I'm always looking for another excuse to get another tattoo. Last week I saw this study saying getting inked is good for my immune system.

From a story in Al:

"Anthropology professor Chris Lynn led a study that showed that people who get multiple tattoos have a better immune response than those with little experience with the needle. His paper, which also included work from the University of Alabama graduate students, appeared online March 4 in the American Journal of Human Biology."

This week I find this story about tattoos and mental health.

From a Tonic Vice story:

Many psychologists agree that the burden of depression can be more manageable once it’s acknowledged. Brown tells me that when he’s feeling depressed, he can look at the semicolon on his wrist and remind himself to keep going. “The tattoo is sort of like a badge and a symbol.”

To read the entire Tonic Vice story click here.

I'm not a doctor or a counselor and this is not as much a study as it is stories from peoples personal experiences.

I can say that all my tattoos represent a timeline of the good and the bad. I do like having the visual representation right there in front of my face reminding me of my experiences.

If there is any legitimacy to this I feel with the amount of ink I've acquired over the years I should get some kind of insurance break. I'm not sure my HR person will go for it but it's worth a conversation and makes me get that tattoo itch I should also scratch.

Sources: Al / Tonic Vice

Filed Under: health, Mental Health, Tattoos

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