Psychologists have discovered 9 things that bite your nails say about your personality

 Psychologists have discovered 9 things that bite your nails say about your personality

The scientific term for nail biting is onychophagia, it is often linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder and is quite a common practice; a study shows that thirty-three percent of adults bite their nails. Some to the point of biting their nails and skin too, sometimes to the point of allowing their fingers to bleed and hurt. Nail rodents are also often aware of the wear and tear they put on their fingers too and are often embarrassed by their hands, keeping them to themselves in public. But the question is, what is it that prompts a person to adopt this habit in the first place? What is the psychology behind this? Well, onychophagia has not been considered a serious problem until now and little research has been done on its causes so it escapes us so far, but here we have compiled some of the main theories and causes. which psychologists think may be the reason we end up biting our nails.

1. Impaired mother-child relationship:

Psychologists believe that biting your nails can be a detrimental effect on a failed mother-child relationship. The child may have been overfed, undernourished or breastfed for a long time which necessitated, according to psychologist Sigmund Freud, this may be accompanied by smoking, addiction and a sarcastic personality. He also argues that it may also be due to the mother's mental health if she is unstable and sadistic, the child tends to bite her nails more than average. (Note that this type of nail biting refers to the most offensive type, in which the child or teenager or even the adult ends up biting their flesh and harming themselves.)

2. Perfectionism:

Among the main causes of nail biting, perfectionism has taken the first place. Perfectionists are in a hurry and goal-oriented, they set huge expectations for themselves, and unfortunately being just humans is often disappointing, resulting in a constant feeling of disappointment in themselves. It is observed that most perfectionists are also nail rodents, a good chunk of them, this reinforces the theory that nail biting has its root in stress, which can come from the workplace and can come from something more personal. (Note: this does not include damaging nail biting.)

3. Solitude:

Loneliness is often the cause of many strange habits, these can include anxiety, strange thoughts, biting your nails is one of those things. Humans are social animals, they need some interaction to live happy and healthy lives. Loneliness is a major cause of destructive behavior, in emphatic personalities who mostly lean towards the more sensitive type it can be crucial for their sanity. In children, being alone leads to underdevelopment and a lack of intelligence. And nail biting has been seen among all of these mental issues, it is believed to be a consequence of this particular issue.

4. Stress and adrenaline:

Stress is the commonly believed factor influencing nail biting and for good reason too. Studies have shown that most nail biters are stressed. Nail biting is common among risk-taking enthusiasts; like racing car drivers and snowboarders. Thus, it is often theorized that adrenaline rushes may be what causes people to bite their nails. It is often seen as a way to cope with stress.

5. Habit:

Psychologists have theorized about the different reasons that people can bite their nails, in many cases they think it is just habit. First of all, putting hands in mouth is easy, it gives you kind of relief, secondly, it can be seen as a way to clean fingernails, your teeth are easily accessible, why not use them for you cut nails? It could be a way to get rid of boredom, or it could just be a habit you started off for no reason.

6. May be in phase with a nervous disorder:

Nail biting is often linked to anxiety and depression in children, sometimes also considered to be the result of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Parents are urged to look for these symptoms because studies have shown that about 90% of children who bite their nails are often diagnosed with one or two mental illnesses. A similar study was done in adults, but the results were not as strong as in children.

7. Genetics:

It has been clearly noted that most children who end up biting their fingernails have one or both parents who have also bit their fingernails in the past. One study found that despite biting their fingernails before the child was born, parents still had children who bit their fingernails. It is not uncommon for characteristics and patterns of behavior to be passed down from generation to generation. One theory also states that a disorder can be passed on to the child which can lead the child to develop a habit of biting his nails, an example may be OCD.

8. Continued thumb sucking from childhood:

Nail biting is a habit that children can adopt in adulthood and is generally acceptable, while thumb sucking, on the other hand, is not. It is theorized that children bite their nails to replace their thumb sucking habits. Such habits are often referred to as BFRB (repetitive body-centered behavior) usually taken for no logical reason and continued as a form of pleasure or something to do with boredom. These habits generally cause the individual to injure himself or to injure himself unconsciously. These are hard to let go and studies often show they replace one after the other.

9. A form of internal hostility:

People often end up blaming themselves for their environment and the events around them, sometimes unfairly and sometimes correctly. This often leads to a behavior of self-loathing, in which the individual ends up hating himself for a period of time. It is often thought that nail rodents who experience this kind of internal situation bite their nails to inflict punishment, biting their nails and sometimes leaving their hands bloody. Such a person should seek help and advice, because biting their nails is not only harmful to health, but also to mental health.