Putting the bite on perfectionism
/ Courtesy of YouTube
Nail biting is a sign of perfectionism, a study has found.
According to the University of Montreal, skin picking and nail biting are more likely to be indicators of perfectionism. They had been seen as signs of nervousness.
The study was conducted on 46 people. Half suffered repetitive behaviors like hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting. Individuals participated in four sessions that were designed to cause feelings of stress, relaxation, frustration or boredom.
Those with repetitive behaviors felt a greater urge to do such behaviors during the boredom and frustration sessions.
“These results partially support our hypothesis in that participants were more likely to engage in repetitive behavior when they felt bored, frustrated and dissatisfied than when they felt relaxed,” the Daily Mail quoted Sarah Roberts, the author of the study, as saying.
“The findings suggest that individuals suffering from behaviors could benefit from treatments designed to reduce frustration and boredom and to modify perfectionist beliefs.”