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Nail biting is a very widespread bad habit. When we see someone biting their nails, we assume it’s because of stress. However, these are only assumptions and they are often quite wrong.
Science has shown that it’s more about a personality trait that people who bite their nails carry within them than about stress.
Are you wondering which trait it is?
In some cases nail biting can be dangerous for our health. We can cause small cuts that remain open and untreated. An infection can enter these cuts, which can spread throughout the body and, in truly exceptional cases, even cause death.
More common, however, is social condemnation, since nail biting is seen as socially unacceptable behavior. Some people bite their nails in public, even though they might not even be aware of it.
Interesting studies have found that 20 to 30% of the population bite their nails. In most cases they are women! This habit, which appears to be a manifestation of anxiety, can result for women in lowered self-esteem, which in turn causes even greater anxiety.
The nail-biting habit and its effect
However, this habit is difficult to stop. Scientists have found that the act of biting nails itself has a calming effect on the nervous system for people.
Although the reason for nail biting can vary, this behavior has many common traits. Sometimes it’s in the family (parents, older siblings) from whom we’ve picked it up. However, you can also inherit nail biting genetically.
Nail biting reveals a person’s drive to be perfect. This study was published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. It found that nail biting is an indicator that someone is a perfectionist. A person begins to bite their nails at times when they feel frustrated because of their imperfections.
So when you see someone biting their nails, the person may feel imperfect. For example because they have problems with their husband or wife, because of failure at work, and so on. When a person doesn’t meet their goals, it can turn into this ugly habit.
Perfectionists thus begin to panic when things don’t go the way they want. They start to feel frustrated and so this habit, which calms them, comes into play.
Author Dr. Kieron O’Connor wrote: “I believe that individuals who suffer from this behavior may be perfectionistic, which means they are unable to relax and complete their tasks at a normal pace. They are therefore more prone to frustration, are impatient and, above all, dissatisfied when they do not achieve their set goals.
