Latest news with #personalStories
Forbes
a day ago
- Health
- Forbes
2 Surprising Facts About People With Tattoos, By A Psychologist
Tattoos might tell a story, but they rarely tell the truth about one's personality. Here's why your ... More assumptions based on people's tattoos might be way off. getty Tattoos have now become more common than ever. According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center , nearly 32% of American adults report having a tattoo, including 22% who have more than one. Body art was once seen as a symbol of rebellion. However, people get tattooed for deeply personal and, quite often, emotional reasons. In the same survey, participants were also asked the reason for getting their tattoos. Many revealed that their tattoos help them honor someone, express their beliefs or boost their confidence in their appearance. Despite how visibly common or acceptable tattoos may have become, they are still a target for quick judgment by others in more ways than one. People often make quick assumptions based on a single image or style, or about what someone's tattoo says about their personality. It's not just the presence of a tattoo that prompts assumptions, but also the kind of tattoo. From the design and size to the placement or style, people can often form quick opinions about someone based on the body art they've chosen. It's natural for many to assume that a person's tattoos are a direct mirror of who they are. Given the general permanence of ink, it can feel intuitive to believe that the content, color or placement of a tattoo reveals something deeper about a person's character. While that may seem likely, new research proves that people's instincts about this might not be as accurate as they think. In the study, researchers studied 274 tattooed adults between the ages of 18 and 70. Each participant completed a well-established personality test and allowed researchers to photograph one or more of their tattoos. This resulted in a collection of 375 images. These photos were then shown to trained psychology raters. Some saw just the image, while others also received a short explanation of the tattoo's meaning. Using the same personality scale given to participants, the raters were asked to assess how agreeable, conscientious, extraverted, neurotic or open to experience they believed each tattooed person was. Based on these research findings, here are two ways tattoos can mislead you about people's personalities. 1. You Trust Visual Cues That Aren't Accurate When most people see a tattoo, their first instinct is to assume that it reflects something personal and revealing, for instance, the person's values, temperament or personality traits. Most of us rely on visual shortcuts, such as bright colors that might suggest warmth or friendliness, while dark, edgy imagery might be read as rebellious or intense. The study found that observers were surprisingly consistent in the impressions they formed based on visual features alone. For example, cheerful and colorful tattoos were often linked to assumptions of higher agreeableness. On the other hand, large or traditional designs were tied to perceptions of extraversion. Death-related imagery or low-quality tattoos were linked to traits like neuroticism or low agreeableness. But here's the catch: based on the research, these judgments were mostly wrong. The tattooed individuals' self-reported personalities rarely matched the traits assigned to them by observers. This finding is merely a reminder that consensus doesn't equal correctness. Just because a perception feels obvious or shared by others doesn't mean it's true. While your brain is wired to take mental shortcuts, especially when interpreting visual cues, it's important to remember that it can easily lead you astray. If you want to get better at understanding people, you need to move beyond assumptions based on appearance. After all, tattoos might seem to tell a story, but what you see is only a part of a bigger picture. Before you make any judgments about a person, make sure you know them well enough to make that assumption. 2. A Tattoo's Story Doesn't Say All That Much About Personality People usually have deep meanings and stories behind why they got a particular tattoo. You might think that knowing the meaning behind someone's tattoo would give you better insight into who they are. However, researchers found otherwise. Even when observers were given the personal backstory behind a tattoo, their judgments didn't become significantly more accurate. While sharing the meaning did slightly increase how much different observers agreed with one another, especially on traits like neuroticism, it didn't bring them much closer to the tattooed person's actual self-perception. While the meanings can be emotionally rich, they're not always personality-revealing. A tattoo honoring a parent's memory, for instance, might show emotional depth, surely, but it doesn't necessarily indicate whether the person is extroverted, agreeable or highly conscientious. In some cases, the story simply reinforces what the observer already assumed from the design itself, rather than challenging or refining it. This reiterates the idea that a tattoo or the meaning behind the tattoo only reflects a moment, a memory or an aspect of identity someone wanted to express, not the full picture of who they are. That being said, asking someone about their tattoo isn't always pointless. It may just help you connect with them better by giving you a small window into what they've lived, what they've loved or what they've lost. Sometimes, that's more meaningful than any personality label. Why First Impressions Deserve A Second Thought Judging people or making assumptions without knowing the full story can come easy. It's instinctive and sometimes feels like certainty. You may feel wired to make sense of people quickly. But let this be your reminder that appearances, no matter how personal, rarely tell the whole truth. A tattoo might hint at a story, but not someone's entire character — just like an outfit doesn't reveal someone's values and a quiet demeanor doesn't mean a quiet mind. Instead of treating surface cues as shortcuts to understanding, remember that they're just projections or more like snapshots that we fill in with our own assumptions. This isn't about avoiding first impressions entirely. It's about softening them. Remember to make space for the possibility that you don't know the full picture. Who a person truly is can only be understood by taking the time to actually get to know them. Until then, every assumption is just a placeholder for a deeper connection that hasn't happened yet. Do you often jump to conclusions about others or take your time with first impressions? Take this science-backed test to find out: Intuitive Decision Style Scale
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
BBC Sport's most engaging football content in 2024-25
For the third year running, we've been looking at which football stories engaged our audience the most during the season across the BBC Sport website and time of a story was determined by the average time it took to actively read the piece along with a quality ratio - a calculation that allowed us to weight the results so the list did not become one featuring only our longest the first time, rather than a single list, we've grouped the content into different strands to make it easier for you to pick out the pieces of most interest, but each list is in no particular omitted content that has since become dated by news events, and we've added a separate list at the end to show our most-read content this season to give you a flavour of which matches proved the most we go then: Top 10 personal stories 'I was close to dying in car crash'In an exclusive interview with the BBC in March, West Ham forward Michail Antonio reflected on his near-fatal car crash in December.'The cash came up to my torso' - tales of a match-fixerMoses Swaibu was one of the brightest prospects in Crystal Palace's youth ranks, but he ended up in a shady world of cash, danger and fixing rather than football's air crash and the underdogs - a triumph for Zambia's lost generationA story across two decades that laid bare a nation's soul, and delivered triumph just as unexpectedly as it did disaster.'I'd still be playing in the Premier League if I had behaved'Nile Ranger was a £10,000-a-week Newcastle United "wonderkid" with the world at his feet before his off-pitch behaviour attracted more headlines than his talent on it.'I was effectively homeless after getting sacked'Former England captain Casey Stoney tells BBC Sport how she and her family have rebuilt their lives after her sacking by San Diego life, loss and legacy of Kevin CampbellWayne Rooney, Andrew Cole, Tyrese Campbell and more discuss the life and tragic death of the former Arsenal and Everton striker.'I signed Barcelona deal - then had a stroke at 24'Goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck suffered a stroke six months after being part of the England squad that reached the World Cup man who saved Wembley StadiumHow Arthur Elvin went from working in a tobacco kiosk to saving Wembley Stadium from demolition and running the stadium for 30 years.'Being misunderstood when you're younger is so difficult'Chelsea and England defender Lucy Bronze opens up for the first time about her autism and ADHD diagnoses.'I want to be the best player in the world one day'On the streets they call him 'Kego' - the one-time wonderkid left to train alone in a concrete wilderness. Top 10 profiles Why Martin Odegaard struggled at Real Madrid and how it led him to ArsenalThe Norway international arrived in Spain as the wonderkid everyone wanted, but he left more than five years later having made just 11 prince who never became kingAs the world's most expensive player returned to his boyhood club Santos, BBC Sport looked back at Neymar's time with Barcelona and Thomas Tuchel went from barman to Three LionsThe new England manager has been set the challenge of winning the World Cup in 2026, but how did he get to this point?The rise and fall of SampdoriaAfter a golden age in the 1980s and 90s, Sampdoria have now been relegated to Serie C for the first time - where did it all go wrong?The making of Virgil van DijkBBC Sport looks at how the 33-year-old centre-back recovered from early setbacks to become one of the best in the has happened to Paul Mullin?He has been Wrexham's leading scorer for the past three seasons but could not find a way into Phil Parkinson's promotion-winning French giants Bordeaux ended up in the fourth tierAfter handing in their licence as a professional club, the French side geared up for a "chaotic new reality".'It's hard to watch Manchester United's struggles'Ole Gunnar Solskjaer met up with BBC Sport in Istanbul shortly before his Besiktas side faced Jose Mourinho's Scott McTominay became a Napoli iconFormer Manchester United midfielder; Scotland international; Napoli title winner; Serie A's Most Valuable Player. He is Scott McTominay.'Controversial but a winner' - who is Evangelos Marinakis?BBC Sport breaks down the complex character of the "imposing yet softly spoken" Nottingham Forest owner. Top eight tactical breakdowns Corner chicken & Rory Delap 2.0 - what's the future of football?New tactical ideas still flood into the league but nothing has emerged as the next great theory. Still, that did not stop us from looking at what could happen... Embracing the chaos - breaking down Bournemouth's riseWith Bournemouth challenging for a European finish in the Premier League this season, BBC Sport analysed how the Cherries have gone about Pep Guardiola's tactics stopped workingBBC Sport analyses why the Manchester City manager's possession-focused tactics have stopped being as effective amid the rise in rapid, direct Arne Slot has reinvented Liverpool since Jurgen KloppBBC Sport takes a closer look at some of Liverpool's more subtle tactical tweaks since the current Reds manager 'dark arts' - was there a case to answer?Amid accusations from Manchester City's Kyle Walker and John Stones of employing "dark arts", we look at the tactics used by Arsenal in their fiery the role of a goalkeeper changedFrom keeping the ball out of their net to playing a key role in a team's attack - this is how the modern keeper has tactical lessons we learned from Thomas Tuchel's first gamesDespite unspectacular wins against Albania and Latvia, under the bonnet there were clues that a more detailed tactical plan is in the pipeline from England's slow death of the screamerPremier League teams may have become better at scoring goals, but they are of a 'worse' quality when judged by the primitive thrill of a ball well whacked. Top 10 club insights Inside Erik ten Hag's turbulent time at Manchester UnitedWith the beleaguered club calling time on the Dutchman's reign as manager, Simon Stone looked back at yet another troubled period for the are Chelsea stockpiling so many young players?A Uefa report says Chelsea have spent almost £1.7bn in transfer fees in the five-year period to 2024. And yet they keep does Daniel Levy run Tottenham - and would he ever leave?With Spurs struggling in the league and the chairman facing criticism from fans, BBC Sport looked at how the club is run and what the future might Wrexham really reach the Premier League?Will the Hollywood-owned club make it to the top flight following three successive promotions?'A calamitous season for club at a crossroads' - what next for relegated Leicester?The Foxes made an immediate return to the Premier League last time they went down in 2023. This time their short-term future is far less Newcastle United are exploring stadium optionsAs talk about a stadium move for the Magpies intensifies, BBC Sport looks at why the club are weighing up the options.'Self-doubt, errors and big changes' - inside crisis at Manchester CitySpanish football expert Guillem Balague takes a look at the issues affecting Pep Guardiola's side - and the potential painful divorce of Marcus Rashford and Manchester UnitedAfter 20 years at Manchester United, the forward left for Aston Villa, leaving many questions and few key areas for Everton's new owners to addressThe Friedkin Group have taken over Everton - what are the key areas they need to immediately address at the club?When River Plate icon Ramon Diaz took over fourth-tier Oxford UnitedTwenty years on from the Copa Libertadores-winning manager's surprise appointment at Oxford United, BBC Sport looks at what happened and how it went... Top 10 talking points Premier League ticket price rises: How much do clubs make from fans?Football fans can be tribal. But when it comes to ticket prices, there is do football players swap shirts and whose is most valuable?Shirt swapping has long been a tradition in football, but what exactly do players do with the shirts they acquire? Does it work when a manager returns to his old club?After David Moyes returned to Everton, BBC Sport looked at whether managers have enjoyed success in their second spells at lack of unity for rainbow gesture - what does it mean?What does the rainbow armband controversy tell us about football & LGBTQ+ rights?Liverpool may have won the league but they must rebuild with big signingsArne Slot's side must still rebuild with major signings despite winning the title, says BBC Sport chief football writer Phil Dan Ashworth pay price for Manchester United's mediocrity?BBC sports editor Dan Roan and chief football news reporter Simon Stone look at what led to the sporting director leaving his role after just five does it takes to pass Fifa's agent exam?BBC Sport's Nick Mashiter sets out to pass Fifa's agent exam - and speaks to those in the industry about what it takes to enter their going on with Jack Grealish?After the highs of winning the Treble, Jack Grealish has fallen out of favour at Manchester City - but what has gone wrong?What happens when managers publicly criticise their own players?After Ruben Amorim publicly criticised Marcus Rashford, BBC Sport looks at other examples of managers calling out their 'The Godfather' of PSR wants clubs to spend more moneyLeading sports lawyer Nick de Marco on football finance, the Manchester City case and why he backs an independent regulator. Top five most-read pages Based on the number of unique visitors to each football story this season, these five pages were the most popular across the BBC Sport website and app.1. Europa League final: Tottenham 1-0 Manchester United (21 May)2. EFL Cup final: Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle (16 Mar)3. FA Cup final: Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City (17 May)4. Premier League: Everton 2-2 Liverpool (12 Feb)5. Premier League: Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham (27 Apr)A unique visitor refers to the specific individual who has visited that page, no matter how many times they have visited. Five popular plays on BBC iPlayer The following selections are based on a mix of viewing figures and editorial selections:Sir AlexPhenomenal talent, unwavering passion and a will to win. Friends and foes on the incredible career of Sir Alex Ferguson - Britain's most decorated football to win the Champions LeagueLocker room tales from Real Madrid's revolution, Liverpool's 2019 title run and Jose Mourinho's triumphs reveal what it takes to be crowned kings of flight test: Which top-flight ball is best?Nedum Onuoha tests the different types of footballs used in the men's Shearer meets Alexander Isak: The Big InterviewNewcastle United's star striker Alexander Isak sits down with club legend Alan Elanga on chasing greatness at Nottingham ForestDion Dublin meets up with Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga. Ten popular plays on BBC Sounds The following selections are based on a mix of listening figures and editorial selections:Football on Trial: The Manchester City ChargesClive Myrie tells the football story of the century: the Premier League v Man GiantsHow Sir Alex Ferguson's working-class origins shaped British football's most successful Island DiscsFootball manager Gareth Southgate shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Tooney and Russo ShowEngland goalkeeper Mary Earps takes over the reins as the host to ask your Strangest Crimes – Confessions of a Match FixerMoses Swaibu has the makings of a top-flight footballer – until temptation comes his Ronaldo, Firmino and Toney are helping Saudi teams dominate in AsiaAre Saudi Arabia clubs now starting to dominate in Asia? World Football of the Day: Top 10Alan and Micah pick their all-time Champions League Focus – Gary Lineker speaks to Arne SlotThe Liverpool manager talks about his success at the club so far since taking charge from Jurgen Klopp in the Season When: Blackburn won the LeagueSir Kenny Dalglish, Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer are among the guests as Kelly Cates looks back on Blackburn's famous title win in 1995.72+ with Aaron Paul & Jobi McAnuff – The Neil Warnock SpecialFrom bowling and chiropody, to Chris Morgan and Adel Taarabt, Neil Warnock lifts the lid on some of his funniest and memorable stories.
