Dr. Alyssa Grocutt

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Dr. Alyssa Grocutt Wrote my PhD on how tattooed employees are perceived, so I guess I’m kinda an expert 👀
Passion for science communication 🖤
Married to the loml 💍

25/08/2026

Why am I heavily tattooed? 👀

Because this feels like the truest version of me 🖤

Not only is living authentically meaningful to me, but research shows wellbeing benefits.

In this study, researchers asked participants to complete a survey measuring their general authenticity and wellbeing.

They also asked participants to complete daily surveys for two weeks measuring the same things just specific to that day.

Authenticity included: authentic living, self-alienation, and accepting external influence (the latter two being a sign of inauthenticity). Wellbeing included: a sense of purpose, comprehension of own life, sense that life matters, and life satisfaction.

They also took into consideration other things like positive and negative affect that could affect these too.

The results showed:

At the general level, authentic living related to greater purpose in life, comprehension, and mattering. Whereas self-alienation was the opposite.

At the daily level, authentic living related to greater purpose in life, comprehension, mattering, and life satisfaction. Whereas both self-alienation and accepting external influence were the opposite.

The daily results are same day authentic relating to same day wellbeing. When we look at how one day impacts the next, we see fewer significant effects. So while in general and within a day, authenticity may enhance wellbeing (or vice versa), authenticity or wellbeing in one day may not impact the next day.

My take is that this emphasizes the importance of doing our best to show up as our authentic selves each and every day.

Personally, I do my best to incorporate authenticity daily through my appearance and routine 🖤

What does daily authenticity look like for you? 🤍✨



Ref:

Lutz, P. K., Newman, D. B., Schlegel, R. J., & Wirtz, D. (2023). Authenticity, meaning in life, and life satisfaction: A multicomponent investigation of relationships at the trait and state levels. Journal of Personality, 91(3), 541-555.

People often talk about tattoos affecting hiring—but can tattoos lead to discrimination once you’re on the job?Swipe thr...
23/08/2026

People often talk about tattoos affecting hiring—but can tattoos lead to discrimination once you’re on the job?

Swipe through to learn about findings from a study of tattooed employees’ workplace experiences, and see whether tattoo visibility or content make a difference.

Do you feel like any aspects of your tattoos have affected your experiences at work?

Ref:

Tews, M. J., & Stafford, K. (2020). Tattoos and unfavorable treatment among employees in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(5), 1925-1940.

20/08/2026

Can tattoos be incorporated into therapy??

Hi, I’m Dr. Alyssa Grocutt - I research tattoos in the workplace, and I dive into tattoos in general 🖤

In a previous video, I talked about 4 tattoo topics studied in psychology and psychiatry and asked which ones you’d be interested in learning more about, and some of you said tattoos and identity.

Searching this topic lead me to this paper on the therapeutic implications of tattoos. The researcher separated the findings into 3 themes: (1) motivations, (2) narratives, and (3) healing.

First, motivations - the two most common motivations mentioned by participants were memorial and self-expression, others included aesthetics, group affiliation, feeling a sense of control over one’s own body, and emotional healing.

Second, narratives - most participants described their tattoos as having a story or symbolic meaning. While many were private about their tattoos, most were still relatively open to discussing their tattoos with others. And about half of participants said their tattoos made them feel better about themselves.

Third, healing - a connection to healing did emerge in the responses, with mention of tattoos as a source of strength, part of accepting challenges, being empowered, commemorating a loss, self-acceptance, and transforming emotional pain into something beautiful.

The researcher connected these findings on tattoos to art therapy practices that also discuss empowerment, self-identity, and healing. With this, conversations in therapy could incorporate one’s tattoos into telling their story and working through the healing process.

I love tattoos (obviously) and talking about mental health, and combing art and mental health is incredible 🤍

What do you think about the possibility of tattoos being incorporated into therapy practices (as conversation pieces or in designing tattoos and similar art pieces)?

Ref:

Alter-Muri, S. (2020). The body as canvas: Motivations, meanings, and therapeutic implications of tattoos. Art Therapy, 37(3), 139-146.


19/08/2026

Do you like tattoos and piercings? Do you ALSO have ADHD symptoms?

You might not be the only one…

A study found some associations between tattoos, piercings, and ADHD symptoms.

Hi, I’m Dr. Alyssa Grocutt - I research tattoos in the workplace, and dive into tattoos in general 🖤

I’ve occasionally been asked to talk about tattoos and neurodiversity but I haven’t found studies really focusing on this.

There’s one study that pops up when I look, and it looks at associations between tattoos, piercings, and ADHD symptoms.

The researchers were interested in studying this because not only is it a stereotype that tattooed people are impulsive, but prior research has found that tattooed people are more impulsive than non-tattooed people. AND one aspect of ADHD is impulsivity. So they thought tattoos and piercings may be an indication of symptoms worthy of further investigation.

The study didn’t include people with diagnosed ADHD. The survey included an ADHD screener and symptom checklist, both of which could identity people who may benefit from further ADHD assessment, but the purpose of this was not to diagnose.

The results:
(1) People with 1+ tattoo(s) scored slightly higher on hyperactivity/impulsivity than those with no tattoos

(2) People with non-ear piercings scored higher on hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention - and those differences became larger with more piercings - compared to those with no non-ear piercings

(3) People with tattoos, non-ear piercings, or both were more likely to screen positive for possible ADHD (not a diagnosis)

Does this mean ALL people with body mods also have ADHD? No, definitely not.

What this does mean is that this study found a small association between body mods and ADHD symptoms. But the overlap that people describe with their lived experience is an interesting research question worthy of more research.

If you’re tattooed/pierced and experience ADHD symptoms, what would you want to see studied on this topic?

Ref:

G***s et al. (2024). Tattoos, piercings, and symptoms of ADHD in non-clinical adults: a cross-sectional study. Frontiers in psychiatry, 14, 1224811.

Being yourself and lil weird, maybe a lil silly, can bring criticism from others. But your happiness and wellbeing are w...
17/08/2026

Being yourself and lil weird, maybe a lil silly, can bring criticism from others. But your happiness and wellbeing are worth more than other people’s opinions 🤍

I've been reflecting on this a lot lately. Posting content consistently on multiple platforms has brought tons of negative comments picking apart my mannerisms and appearance.

To some people, the way I speak, my hand gestures, the way I move head, how little my mouth opens when I talk, are all performative for social media. But it's actually just me being me, and I'm reminded of this all the time by my husband (who loves my weird quirks). Most recently, I was reminiscing about our first dates and he mentioned that he'll never forget the little wave I did when we first saw each other. He mimicked my wave and it's exactly what I do in my videos.

I've also gotten an influx of comments about how gross and ugly my tattoos are and how I must just be looking for attention. I like to think that other people’s perceptions never held me back from doing what I want, but they did. I was hesitant to get tattoos in certain areas like my hand and fingers, and same with getting more nose piercings.

At some point though, I just went for it. And honestly, I'm much happier now. I feel more like me. I'm the one who has to see my tattoos the most. As I type this, I'm looking at my tattooed hands and I like this view a lot more than when my hands weren't tattooed.

For me, embracing my mannerisms and expressing myself through my appearance with tattoos and piercings, and the joy that comes with that authenticity, is worth the discomfort of experiencing some criticism.

Research shows being our authentic selves has benefits for our general wellbeing, our relationships, and even our work performance. So not only do we reap the benefits, but so do those around us.

This is your reminder to embrace YOU. And a reminder that others may express themselves in ways that you wouldn't, and that's okay 🖤

What things do you do to live authentically? Or what could you do differently to live more authentically? 🥰

16/08/2026

Let's talk about women reshaping the tattoo industry 🤍

Hi, I'm Dr. Alyssa Grocutt - I research tattoos in the workplace, and dive into tattoos in general 🖤

I want to chat about some findings from a cool study done on women in tattooing!

The researcher from this study conducted interviews, observations in studios, and collected data from YouTube and Reddit - all focusing on women tattoo artists, particularly those who own studios.

4 themes emerged:

(1) Gendered visibility and credibility - women tattoo artists, especially studio owners, were judged on more than just their work. They experienced continuously having to prove their legitimacy, credibility, and authority.
An example from the observational data included someone asking if the "real tattoo artist" was present.

(2) Care as core to professionalism - being caring and attentive and relational were all woven into the day-to-day client interactions and mentoring practices. One studio owner spoke about creating her space with artists around helping each other and growing together rather than a competitive and comparative environment.

(3) Studios of care - related to the previous one, this involved studios being organized around calm tones and collaboration. For clients, this manifested as these studios being a place where they want to spend time, a friendly and welcoming space.

(4) Embodied leadership - the women studio owners didn't necessarily take on formal roles of authority, instead their leadership emerged in modelling behaviours and providing guidance.

If you're a women in tattooing, are any of these themes similar to what you experience in your work? And if you're a client who has interacted with women-owned studios, do any of these themes relate to your experiences?

Ref:

Bertola, L. (2026). Mistresses of Ink: Rewriting the Tattoo Industry. Gender, Work & Organization.

15/08/2026

The person behind the research… 🖤 Maybe I integrate a little more lifestyle content? What are your thoughts? 👀

14/08/2026

I love coffee, especially Analog Coffee 🖤

Honoured to have the opportunity to visit the new Analog location during their grand opening in University District 🥰

13/08/2026

My least favourite tattoo questions (and by least favourite, I mean I don't enjoy them... please don't ask me these questions 🥲)

These are just my personal preferences!

And I don't love focusing only on the negative so maybe I'll also do a reel about my favourite tattoo interactions ✨

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