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Anorak News | Men use tattoos to attract other men, scientists find

Men use tattoos to attract other men, scientists find

by | 14th, November 2016

When Andrzej Galbarczyk, a researcher at Jagiellonian University’s Institute of Public Health, and Anna Ziomkiewicz, a Fulbright Scholar and Assistant Professor at Polish Academy of Sciences
Wrocław, studied the effects of tattoos on human thinking, the Times saw the results and declared:

Tattoos do make men more attractive to women, scientists have discovered.

The Daily Star added one day later

Calling all men: Tattoos will land you the girl of your dreams

Really?

This is the missive about that research:

We photographed nine shirtless men without tattoos from the waist up. We digitally modified these pictures by adding a black arm tattoo with an abstract, neutral design. We asked heterosexual women and men to rate a randomly selected version of each photo in several categories. Data were collected from 2463 women and 234 men from Poland by an online survey.

Women rated modified versions of the pictures as healthier but not more or less attractive than the original. Inversely, men rated modified version of pictures as more attractive but not more or less healthy than the original. Both men and women rated pictures of men with a tattoo as more masculine, dominant and aggressive.

Women are not more attracted to men with tattoos. But can we agree that men are?

And now the part the newspapers republished:

Our results identify two important sexual selection mechanisms that may support tattooing in humans. First, women perceive tattoos as a signal of good health, masculinity, and dominance. They may thus favour tattooed men as more valuable partners with potentially better health and higher social rank.

Second, men perceive tattoos as a signal of attractiveness, masculinity and dominance. Therefore, they may assess those traits as qualities of stronger and more successful same-sex rival.

In short: tattooed men fancy themselves

 



Posted: 14th, November 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink