Nail biting is an extremely common habit.
It's not particularly healthy or desirable, but many people do it.
Psychologists have examined the personality traits common to nail biters.
They've found that this nervous habit is a marker of one personality trait, in particular.
Most nail biters are actually perfectionists.
Researchers from Montreal found that people bite their nails in order to satisfy an urge and obtain some type of reward.
This perfectionism can lead to other issues.
Nail
biters are also prone to frustration, impatience, and dissatisfaction
when they don't obtain their goals. They also have difficulty working at
a "normal" pace.
It's not just nail biters who have this personality trait.
The
researchers found that any "body-repetitive" behavior shared these
traits. That can include playing with your hair, picking at your skin,
etc.
Perfectionism isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can have bad effects on a person.
Setting
high standards isn't necessarily bad, but it can lead to unhealthy
thought patterns when a person falls short of their goals. Be careful
not to get consumed with negativity.
