Why do so many people need to bite their nails when they need to think or get upset?

Humans have countless daily routines, but many of them have not been able to figure out why we do such things. Nail biting is one of them.

At least once in a lifetime, when faced with stressful situations, we still often engage in nail biting, but an unexpected number, as many as 20% of the population regularly do this, they repeat Repeat the biting of the skin around the nail without restraint. Science calls this syndrome onychophagia .

Although this is a fairly common behavior, psychologists have only studied in the past few decades. They are still trying to decipher the question of why people with onychophagia have tried to keep their minds in control of this action but cannot.

Up to 20% of the population regularly do this.

The early hypotheses about why we bite our nails have been rejected

Many explanations of researchers on this phenomenon have been ignored. As scientist Sigmund Freud once said that this is due to the development of sexual psychology in the newborn period . Then, because of the weaning or teething process, your child needs something to bite like a nail, which in turn becomes a difficult habit to quit.

Some other scientists view nail biting or hair pulling and skin peeling as minor forms of self-harm. According to this theory, nail biting can be a sign of self-hatred.

It has also been considered whether or not to be included in the list of obsessive-compulsive disorders. However, they have suggested that there may be many obsessive-compulsive sufferers of onychophagia, but not all nail-biting people belong to the same group of people with the problem.

New theory: nail biting helps us balance our emotions

Recently, psychologists have made the hypothesis sound more reasonable about this. Accordingly, they believe that biting a nail can provide a temporary psychological relief, a bit of pleasure or a sense of relaxation for the person.

Penzel, a psychological study indicates that many people do this when they are criticized or received compliments. When being underestimated, biting your nails helps them to express and develop emotions, and when praised, this action will help them curb the excitement. Like nicotine, nail biting is both stimulating and relaxing.

Nail biting acts to both stimulate and relax.

Sarah Roberts and other researchers at the University of Quebec in Montreal have shed some light on this argument. Research has put people with onychophagia or other repetitive behaviors on the body into experimental situations such as giving them a difficult task that knows they can't complete, putting them in Empty rooms have nothing to do, show them the plane crash scene and show them a video of a beach in a comfortable chair to stimulate their frustration, boredom, anxiety or relaxation in them.

The researchers observed the behavior of the participants and realized something interesting. People are more likely to bite their nails in stress or boredom than in relaxation .

Why is biting a nail not another action?

Their department once pointed out that many animals also have repeated actions on their bodies, such as cats licking themselves, horses biting themselves on the ribs, etc. Perhaps this makes them comfortable and comfortable. As such, this can also be interpreted as due to the evolution of mammals from ancient times.

Another explanation is that when you're in a bad mood, you're often looking for something to forget you've been through , and your hands are always there for you. Nail biting can reassure you at the time, and since nails can grow back, you should always aim for them. Do it many times and become a habit, so every time you get bored you will unconsciously repeat this action.

How to limit this bad habit?

If there are situations that disappoint you, think of something to entertain.

There is no cure for this malady. However, if you want to limit you can chew gum or let your hands always have an object to hold . If there are situations that disappoint you, think of something to entertain.

You can also use a nail polish with an unpleasant taste like glossy polish. Not too toxic but when exposed to the mouth, surely nails will leave a bitter taste is not pleasant at all.