Journal
REVIEW OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 16, Issue 2, Pages 134-143Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1037/a0027908
Keywords
tattoo; evolution; human canvas hypothesis; upping the ante hypothesis; popular culture; body ornamentation; body piercing
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Numerous studies have found that piercing and tattooing the body is an increasingly prevalent trend in modern popular culture; however, this is not only a modern practice. Evidence of various forms of body ornamentation has been found in human societies dating back thousands of years. Although prior research has focused on the potential relationships between various personality traits and the likelihood of piercing or tattooing the body. few have approached this topic from an evolutionary perspective. For instance, the general motivations for getting tattoos and piercings have tended to fall into the same three categories for hundreds of years: (a) a symbol of an important past event, love, or friendship, (b) group membership, and/or (c) a marker of individuality. We argue that these motivations are simply proximate behaviors for an ultimate evolutionary reason: the perpetuation of one's genes. In this article, we propose two new theories about the origins of body ornamentation. First, in our human canvas hypothesis, we propose a link between body ornamentation and the human species' historical use of symbolic thought. Second, in our upping the ante hypothesis, we suggest that the steady rise in popularity of tattooing and piercing in Western culture has come about due to larger population densities and advancements in healthcare, which has led individuals to seek new and unique displays of fitness (i.e., body ornamentation). We then conclude with proximate examples in popular culture to display the proposed ultimate evolutionary reasoning' behind body ornamentation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available