Study reveals tattoos influenced by social, not genetic factors

A recent study by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark suggests that the decision to get a tattoo is mainly influenced by nurture, not nature. This means that factors like culture, family, and friends play a bigger role than genetics. The study involved identical and non-identical twins. Identical twins share all their genes, while non-identical twins share about half. Researchers were curious if there was a difference in tattoo rates between identical and non-identical twins. However, they found no significant difference in tattooed individuals between the two groups, indicating that genetics likely does not influence the desire to get a tattoo. The Danish Twin Register provided data for the study, including responses from nearly 5,000 twins. About 22% of the respondents reported having at least one tattoo. The study noted an increase in tattoo popularity over generations, with younger people being more likely to have tattoos compared to older individuals. Researchers also looked at lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol use. They found a strong correlation between getting tattoos and smoking but were not able to establish clear links with alcohol consumption due to timing issues in their data. The researchers concluded that tattooing is largely a cultural choice, with little evidence of genetic influence on the decision to get inked.