Tat will tell: Tattoos and time preferences

Survey and experimental evidence documents discrimination against tattooed individuals in the labor market and in commercial transactions. Thus, individuals’ decision to get tattooed may reflect short-sighted time preferences. We show that, according to numerous measures, those with tattoos, especia...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of economic behavior & organization Vol. 166; pp. 566 - 585
Main Authors Ruffle, Bradley J., Wilson, Anne E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.10.2019
Subjects
Experimental economics
Impulsivity
Tattoo
Time preferences
Z10
Tattoo
Experimental economics
Impulsivity
C91
Time preferences
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0167-2681
1879-1751
DOI10.1016/j.jebo.2019.08.001

Cover

More Information
Summary:Survey and experimental evidence documents discrimination against tattooed individuals in the labor market and in commercial transactions. Thus, individuals’ decision to get tattooed may reflect short-sighted time preferences. We show that, according to numerous measures, those with tattoos, especially visible ones, are more short-sighted and impulsive than the non-tattooed. Almost nothing mitigates these results, neither the motive for the tattoo, the time contemplated before getting tattooed nor the time elapsed since the last tattoo. Even the expressed intention to get a(nother) tattoo predicts increased short-sightedness and helps establish the direction of causality between tattoos and short-sightedness.
ISSN:0167-2681
1879-1751
DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2019.08.001