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Tattooing is a stressor that could have adaptive benefits. Previous research indicates that endocrine and immune systems adjust to the stress of modern electric tattooing over lifetime experience, but it is unclear how these systems react to traditional hand-tap tattooing. The objective of this study was to explore how the body responds to this intense cultural stressor through examining traditional tattooing in Samoa, where saliva samples were collected throughout the first day from a Samoan man receiving the tattoo. Morning elevations and diurnal profiles of cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), and bacteria killing activity (BKA) are described, and comparison is made between these data and a previous study including hand-tap and electric tattooing. Peaks in the diurnal cortisol slope correspond with anticipation of beginning an important tattoo, tattooing activity, and evening pain as stress-related analgesia diminishes and inflammation rises. Peaks in CRP levels may reflect normal moment-to-moment changes in salivary excretion. sIgA and BKA fluctuate similarly to one another throughout the day of tattooing. There were no significant differences in average pain ratings or biomarker levels between the two tattooing styles. Exploring tattooing and endocrine function is important to understanding how culture interacts with endocrine and immune function. 

Abstract Body modification is a blanket term for tattooing, piercing, scarring, cutting, and other forms of bodily alteration generally associated with fashion, identity, or cultural markings. Body modifications like tattooing and piercing have become so common in industrialised regions of the world that what were once viewed as marks of abnormality are now considered normal. However, the psychological motivations for body modification practices are still being investigated regarding deviance or risky behaviours, contributing to a sense in the academic literature that body modifications are both normal and deviant. We explored this inconsistency by conducting a scoping review of the psychological literature on body modifications under the assumption that the psychological and psychiatric disciplines set the standard for related research. We searched for articles in available online databases and retained those published in psychology journals or interdisciplinary journals where at least one author is affiliated with a Psychology or Psychiatry programme ( N  = 94). We coded and tabulated the articles thematically, identifying five categories and ten subcategories. The most common category frames body modifications in general terms of risk, but other categories include health, identity, credibility/employability, and fashion/attractiveness. Trends in psychology studies seem to follow the shifting emphasis in the discipline from a clinical orientation regarding normality and abnormality to more complex social psychological approaches.