30 Happiness Tattoos That Gently Remind Us to Soak Up the Good Times

We can all use a bit of cheer these days. Luckily, you’ve got an excellent option for it in the body art you choose. Happiness tattoos that bring you joy are the perfect little reminders of warmer times on dark days. Happiness looks different to everyone and thus, tattoos that express the emotion are very diverse. Designs displaying vibrant, bright colors are a popular choice, but by no measure is it the only way to go.

What makes you happy? Ask yourself, “What would make me smile every single time I see it?” That’s a design you should pursue. We decided to take a look at some recent happiness tattoos on social media to discover what designs are bringing people comfort right now. We were pleasantly surprised to find all sorts of inspired ink. Take a look at these happiness tattoos that will certainly make you crack a smile and get some ink inspiration for your own tattoo!

A Wave of Joy

The artist who shared this happiness tattoo explained that the concept is a wave of joy. What a fun idea! Let this sweet design wash over you!

Remember These?

Was it a rule that every grandmother had these strawberry candies? We don’t know why they were such a thing but this happiness tattoo really brought us back. Sweet tattoos are encouraged!

Express Yourself

Your happiness tattoo only needs to make sense to yourself. This unusual pairing of pancakes and a cardinal bird is rather curious but it clearly brings the person with it some joy.

House of Love

How cute is this little house? We love that heart-shaped plume of smoke. If your home is your happy place, think of interesting ways to represent it in tattoo form.

A Love of Family

For starters, these flowers are absolutely stunning. We find some brilliantly clean lines on display. If you look closely, you will see the words “love” and “family.” If your family and the love you share with them bring you the ultimate happiness, you know what to do!

Meow!

We are huge fans of any pet tattoo but have a particular soft spot for those of cats. This cheerful, minimal design features bright orange markings that are so sunny. If your fur baby brings you joy, consider a happiness tattoo that celebrates your bond.

Rainbow Bud

Rainbow anything makes us instantly happy. This happy little flower with a smiley in the center is a basic design that expresses so much through color. Black ink dominates the tattoo scene but you can go in this direction for something lighter and brighter.

Don’t Worry…

If you’re someone who needs gentle reminders, getting “be happy” tattooed on you might be a good idea. It’s good advice! Happiness is a thing that we can conjure if we know how to tap into it. This happiness tattoo encourages just that.

Offbeat But Fun

Who knew a severed fishtail would spark so much joy? The animated movement lines give this one a certain fun feel. The design almost implores you to “shake your tail.” Feel free to go off the beaten path for your happiness tattoo.

Pastel Tattooed Snake

Here, we find a simple black ink snake design filled with pastel shapes. This is a very interesting concept and we love spotting the cute little smiley face inside. It’s like this snake went and got its own happiness tattoos.

Straight to the Point

When in doubt, get right to the point. This mini finger happiness tattoo simply says “happy” using five different colors of ink. What a blast! Rainbows really are bringing joy!

Served Hot

We love a good food tattoo and this cheerful bowl of ramen is the happiness tonic we need right now. Getting a happiness tattoo of your favorite foods is a winning and delicious idea!

A Touch Prickly

Who needs a cute, smiling cactus? We do! We love this pink, black, and white ink plant. Getting a happiness tattoo of your most beloved plant is also highly advised.

Hello There!

The tattoo artist who shared this image included the caption: “Hello Flowers are supposed to give you luck and are a reminder to be happy [wherever] you are!” Go ahead and get a Hello Flower or two.

Kawaii Mood

Kawaii is the culture of cuteness in Japan. It can refer to items, humans, and nonhumans that are charming, vulnerable, shy, and childlike. This super kawaii scene is on a whole new level in this happiness tattoo.

Simba Will Do It

Disney tattoos are big favorites. Many of the characters we enjoyed as kids still bring us delight. This black ink design of Simba is a grownup version of the cartoon we all know and love. Nostalgic themes are great to explore for your happiness tattoo.

Go to Your Happy Place

The tattoo artist who shared this image included a caption that described the tattoo as someone’s “happy place.” It includes riding a horse named Nut to a dazzling bridge.

Taking Care

For fans of the Care Bears, there is no better choice than a tattoo of Funshine floating on a rainbow cloud. We love all the pastels and, of course, this fuzzy character. Again, things from your childhood are excellent topics for your happiness tattoo.

Sunshine in Flower Form

The versatility of flower designs is unmatched. Check out this smiling yellow flower surrounded by colorful shapes. What a dreamy design. Don’t be afraid to make your happiness tattoo as cute as possible!

RELATED: 25 Self-Love Tattoos That Foster Acceptance and Spread Positivity

Feeling Fruity

See? These flowers are completely different and are paired with juicy, delicious fruits. We love the idea of marrying a bouquet and basket of fruit in one tattoo.

Sing Your Song

Can you jam like this cute, little kitten? We want to hear the song it’s singing. If you love music or art or history or anything at all, work imagery into your happiness tattoo that expresses your passions.

Conjure Some Laughter

People sure love a good Friends tattoo. The iconic scene of a turkey on Monica’s head surely makes you laugh every single time you think about it. Why not recreate that in tattoo form?

Mr. Brown

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang are so endearing. The characters might remind you of holiday cartoon specials or simply quiet times enjoying the comics. Tap into your past to inform your happiness tattoo.

Sweet Dreams

Wow! This poetic design of a girl being lifted up by balloons is remarkable. We love the watercolor effect that helps make this happiness tattoo scene even dreamier.

Humming Along

Here’s another watercolor tattoo with exploding, rainbow color. The hummingbird surrounded by adorable little shapes is a merry touch in this happiness tattoo.

Bring Your Buddies

When all else fails, get yourself an adorable little dragon happiness tattoo. It might not come first to mind, but wouldn’t you smile every time you saw this? It’s too cute!

A Sip of Summer

Here’s another inspirational happiness tattoo that encourages the person with it to be happy. A coconut enjoyed in the height of Summer was the influence. Cheers!

A Little Bit of Love

Wow! This original design of two lovers is remarkable. We love the abstract nature of this happiness tattoo and the rosy cheeks on both. This tattoo would certainly bring us comfort.

Paradise

An idyllic scene could be the perfect subject matter for your happiness tattoo. This one features a gorgeous garden that has been created using the most basic of shapes. Simple lines and a little bit of color are all it takes to bring this baby to life.

RELATED:30 Thought-Provoking Quote Tattoos with Profound Significance

Bringing Happiness to Others

“Have a nice day,” this happiness tattoo tells viewers. A rainbow flower is a perfect touch to make this design really feel warm and cheerful.

There you go! dozens of cheerful happiness tattoos that bring the people with them so much joy. What designs make you happy? Is it cute animals? Pretty plants? Your favorite food? Whatever it is, consider getting a tattoo to remind you that goodness still exists in the world, even on the darkest days. If you enjoyed these tattoos, keep reading as we have even more to share with you. We have compiled a list of love tattoos for you to take a look at!

Take a Look at These Love Tattoos That Are Big On Romance!

Won’t You?

Advertise your cat lady credibility with adorable cat love tattoos! This fancy feline has a question it wants to ask you.

Forbidden Love

Here’s a rather macabre tattoo of Satan seducing a woman. We don’t know why but it looked like love to us!

Little Cubs

Meow! We can’t quit with the cats as they are really popular among love tattoos. This tattoo is for a mom who has two children she loved enough to get a tattoo for!

Love Ya to Death

Skeletons are another extremely popular subject matter for love tattoos. They symbolize a “forever love” that extends beyond life and continues in death. It’s a bit morbid but a beautiful sentiment nonetheless.

Two Faces

Single line tattoos are an extremely popular trend today with people getting faces like these often. It’s a beautiful symbol of the connection shared between two lovers.

Love Letters

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with your love tattoos! Feel free to get some handsome initials of your partner or your initial and your partner’s for a lasting symbol of love.

Shot Through the Heart

Here’s a rather minimal love tattoo of a heart with a couple of arrows shot through it. We assume those were launched by Cupid himself.

The Key to Their Heart

Heart-shaped lockets are yet another popular trend among love tattoos and you’ll see at least one more on this list. We thought this big tattoo looked crisp and smart.

Puppy Love

We don’t only love people! Pet tattoos are extremely popular these days with people getting paws, pet portraits, and more inked on their body. We thought these two dudes were super cute!

Embrace

Here’s a fresh neo-traditional tattoo of two lovers in an embrace. We stumbled across a number of love tattoos of two lovers gazing into each other’s eyes. You’ll see a few more examples like this as the list continues.

Get Into It

You can get right to the point with your love tattoos! Feel free to tattoo “romance” on your body if you love that you’re a romantic.

Yep!

Here’s another example of a love tattoo that’s all about the romance. This person has chosen to write their worldview on their arm. How fun!

Cute Little Cupid

Cute little cherubs are very popular love tattoos with people getting the little angelic figures inked all over their bodies. We liked this one that included some lovely and evocative red ink.

Full of Heart

We find a chrysanthemum married to a heart in this truly mesmerizing tattoo. Take a look at all of the shading that’s been used to give the tattoo depth and texture. Bravo!

It’s True

Here, we find “true love” spelled out in cute little hearts and a banner. The imagery is rather traditional and time-tested but the way the artist has composed the tattoo makes it really stand out as an inspired design.

The Kiss

Here’s another one of the line-drawing-style love tattoos. We find a pair of faces on the verge of a kiss that reads as very romantic and tender.

Dazzling

If you’re a little goth, you go right on ahead and get that black heart that you know you want. This one has been paired with a jeweled outline and some moody purple flowers.

Love a Slice

Who does not love pizza? We find this slice topped with heart-shaped toppings which looks equal parts fun and lovely.

Disney Love

We think these Disney characters are from The Sword in the Stone. Regardless, they are super cute little squirrels and we imagine they represent two real-life squirrel friends!

Hopeless Romantic

Here’s a rather unique love tattoo that includes an arrow through the heart. If simplicity is bliss, this tattoo is pure pleasure as it has been boiled down to the bare minimum.

Forever

We find two lovers framed by a golden heart in this romantic design that says “’til Death.” The faces are rather minimal and harken back to more traditional styles of tattooing.

On a Cloud

Sometimes love feels like a tempest. We find a love cloud here that’s raining hearts. It’s one of the most unique love tattoos on this list.

Smooch

Here’s another tattoo that skews traditional and old school. We find a pair of lovers immortalized in an embrace with this ink.

A Gem

This heart tattoo looks just like a jewel thanks to the encrusted-looking frame around it and the cool color effect inside. It’s a very fine tattoo indeed.

Desert Romance

We stumble across more skulls again as they are so very popular among love tattoos. This pair has been found in a gorgeous desert scene that includes a sunset and a flowering cactus. What a dream!

RELATED: 25 Family Tattoos That Celebrate the Ones You Love Most

Keep Reading For Even More Love Tattoos!

In the Sea of Love

Does your romance ever make you feel like you are awash in love? Represent that with a tattoo similar to this one that finds two lovers kissing in the ocean under the night sky,

Inspired by Klimt

Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss is one of the most famous works of art on earth today. You can find it reproduced and hanging in a number of homes today. Here, we find the artwork edited into a neat frame that’s truly dazzling.

Cosmic Kiss

Woah! This tattoo means business! We find the silhouette of two faces engaged in a kiss filled with celestial bodies. If your love feels cosmic, get yourself some love tattoos that reflect that.

With Hearts

Here’s a simple tattoo of three hearts done in different styles. Perhaps each heart represents a lover or family member. This understated design could be used as inspiration if you’re looking for something that is similarly minimal.

Post It

Who does not love the idea of a love letter? We find one being delivered by a beautifully ornate hand along with some flower details to help bring beauty and balance to the piece.

Dreamy

We saw this stunning tattoo and immediately thought of “I Wish I Was the Moon” by Neko Case. The lyrics say, in part: “Chimey falls and lovers blaze / I thought that I was young / Now I’ve freezing hands and bloodless veins / As numb as I’ve become / I’m so tired, I wish I was the moon tonight.”

Lovely Faces

Here are some super stylish faces that look wholly original. We find the cheeks red with hearts that look so majestic next to those bold black lines.

The Dance

Here are a pair of vintage dancers that represent love. The timeless image is evocative and extremely interesting in tattoo form.

Slither Into Your Heart

We don’t know why but this snake has been covered in little hearts. Get weird with your tattoo design because it always pays off. Work with a tattoo artist on your love tattoos and you could walk away with a one-of-a-kind design that everyone else wishes they’d thought of.

Made for One Another

Matching tattoos for couples are a sweet and endearing way to represent the love that a pair shares. This lock and key scheme is extremely popular among love tattoos today.

Always & Forever

We find a somewhat surrealist-looking tattoo here in one of the best love tattoos on this list. The person who shared this image captioned it “love forever,” and we think the design speaks for itself and conveys just that.

Right to the Point

Like the “romance” and “romantic” love tattoos we saw earlier, here’s one that simply says “lover.” You don’t have to reinvent the wheel and you can feel free to get straight to the point!

Say It with Your Hands

We find two tidy hands forming a heart symbol in this original design. The lines are neat and clean which is what you need with a tattoo that is this simple. We think it makes a lovely statement!

In Bloom

Here’s another one of our favorite love tattoos. If finds a ribcage with pink roses impaled inside it. Don’t you think this design just screams romance?

Pride

Sometimes love tattoos make a political statement. When your sexuality is a point of debate, a simple tattoo can make a huge statement that “love is love.”

Klimt Part II

We did not expect to find two Klimt-inspired love tattoos to share with you but both were just so good we had to show you both. Instead of a picture frame, the painting has been worked into a heart shape. Isn’t it a stunner?

Kill for Love

The person who shared this image included the hashtag: #lovekills. We think the tattoo nails that concept as we find a noose shaped like a heart holding a rose. It’s a haunting design and unlike any other of the love tattoos on this list.

Date Night

The biggest tattoo we’ll show you on this list comes in the form of an original piece of art that’s been applied as a backpiece. It’s somewhat morose but we find it very romantic and affecting.

The Royals

We find a “king” and “queen” in these tattoos that are meant to be a pair. There’s a slight watercolor effect which is super hot these days. While this is not the most original idea, it could be something that you and your partner can agree on and love.

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Listen to Your Heart

Finally, we leave you with a tattoo that was made to remind the person with it to “listen to your heart.” We find a horn springing from a heart which makes it instantly apparent what this tattoo is meant to convey. Amazing!

There you go! We hope you felt a pang for some of these love tattoos! There’s no right or wrong way to express your romance so feel free to use some of these designs to get you started in a direction but make sure you make your tattoo design all your own! Love tattoos are all about expressing your admiration for the one you think the world of so go big with your ideas and they can result in a totally romantic and original tattoo!