Are tattoos a form of therapy? Going under the inker’s needle might hurt physically, but there is some evidence that the painful process could be making you mentally stronger Writing | Fiona Thomas
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s someone without tattoos – I’ve always been fascinated by people who choose to get inked. Apart from the pain of an electric needle puncturing my skin 50 to 3,000 times per minute, it sounds like a club I’d quite like to join. There’s a camaraderie. I’ve seen acquaintances become best buds as they discuss the likelihood of time travel, a result of an obscure Back to the Future reference peeking out from an open shirt. I’ve seen couples commemorate anniversaries, and individuals immortalise their loved ones on
their skin. It’s such a socially acceptable form of creative expression that one-fifth of British adults have at least one tattoo. WHY IS TATTOOING A THING? The origin of tattooing can’t be pinpointed to one specific place or time, and its purpose varies, depending on location and cultural norms. There are 49 known mummified remains which show evidence of tattooing, and they originate from all over the world including Alaska, Greenland, Mongolia, Egypt, and Siberia.
The earliest known evidence of tattoos can be found on Otzi the Iceman, Europe’s oldest mummy. The body is thought to date back as far as 3370BC and has a total of 61 tattoos. On closer inspection of Otzi’s bones, experts noticed that the placement of many of his tattoos matched areas which showed degeneration. It’s widely speculated that his tattoos were strategically positioned as an early form of pain relief, similar to modern-day acupuncture. Nowadays, tattoos are generally used to symbolise a feeling or to express identity. >>> August 2020 • happiful.com • 67
