Psychologists have studied the importance of symbols and found people, whether conscious of it or not, are drawn to symbols of immortality like the Egyptian ankh, or hearts, crosses and flags. History has uncovered jewelry and decorations with these symbols on it dating hundreds of years back and, in this episode, we'll talk about how these art, designs and symbols not only adorned the belongings of people in the past, but were also used to decorate the body. Nowadays, 3 out of 10 Americans get inked and not necessarily as a symbol for prolonging life, but it may remind them of milestones in their lives or important people they've lost or even that our lower backs wouldn't be complete without a strategically placed butterfly. I'm your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Tattoos. But first, a quick message.

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Media:

Music for Makers

Sources:

16 Interesting Facts About Tattoos - MSN

If Tattoos Could Talk - Psychology Today

Tattoo Takeover - The Harris Poll

Why do people go back for more and more tattoos? - BBC

How Tattoos Went From Subculture to Pop Culture - Huffington Post

Tattoos - Smithsonian Magazine

Samoa: Samoan Tattoos - Polynesia.com

Can Tattoos Be Medicinal? - Smithsonian Magazine

Did Thomas Edison Invent the Tattoo Machine? - Inked Magazine

A Visual Guide to Sailor Tattoos - The Atlantic

A Sailor's Life: The Legend of Tattooer Sailor Jerry Collins - Inked Magazine

The Sailor Jerry Festival - SailorJerryFestival.com