Besides being a nervous habit picked up randomly, nail biting can tell a lot about one person.
In fact, Health e-news has published a study which claims that this habit is actually a sign of perfectionism. 
Dr. Kieron O’Connor explains that most people with nail biting habit are perfectionists, or in other words they can’t relax after doing their task like everyone else.
They tend to be impatient, frustrated, and dissatisfied when they don’t achieve their goal.
So nail biting is not caused by anxiety, but by frustration.
The Research
The research was conducted on 48 people with nail biting habit who were given surveys in order to determine their organizational behavior.
They ended up being classified as organizational perfectionists.
Nail-biters cope with their current frustration and help themselves release their pent up energy with the help of this habit that is often considered as embarrassing. Nevertheless, the “satisfaction” they get from biting their nails doesn’t last long.
Impact of the Research
Although nail-biting seems rather harmless, it can cause weakened teeth, infections, and finger deformations which can be very embarrassing.
Psychotherapists use these risks to help deter their nail-biting patients from this annoying habit. In fact, the research was mostly helpful to psychotherapists to better understand and help their patients who struggle with the habit of nail-biting.
Do you have this habit yourself? Can you say that you are a perfectionist? Read the following signs of perfectionism and you will find out:
- You are very hard on yourself and you feel like carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders
- You are always thinking all or nothing (black and white)
- If you fail to accomplish a goal, you become depressed
- And if you do accomplish a goal, you feel like it’s not enough
- You often wait for the perfect timing to begin a project, but usually that time never comes
Nevertheless, your perfectionism can make you a driven, talented, and an amazing person if you manage your personality well. If you are interested in finding ways how to cope with this personality trait, you can take a look at Dr. Martin M. Antony and Dr. Richard Swinson’s book that’s available on Amazon.
Via Natural Healthy World | David Wolfe
