According to a recent study, people who have the habit of nail biting tend to be perfectionists.

Nail biting is a bad habit which is typically associated with anxiety and nervousness.

You might have an array of excuses of why you are biting your nails, but according to a new study, it doesn’t say that you are anxious or nervous. While you should definitely get rid of the habit due to hygiene, it, in fact, might reveal that you are actually a perfectionist.

The new study aimed at finding the underlying cause of why people bite their nails found that the habit actually has a correlation with one’s personality traits.

In fact, those who had the perfectionism personality trait were far more likely to have the habit of biting their nails than others.

According to lead researcher and author of the study, Dr. Kieron O’Connor, the prime reason why people tend to have this habit may be related to the inability of perfectionists to relax and perform tasks at a normal pace. This, in turn, leads to a lack of patience and feelings of discontent and frustration when they find it difficult to meet deadlines and achieve their goals.

This Means People Who Bite Their Nails Are Angry at Themselves

What this means is that when you see someone biting their nails, it’s not always that they are nervous or anxious about something. You should be aware that instead, they may actually be angry at themselves as well as experience frustration related with their perfectionism.

The study itself included 48 participants, half of whom had the habit of biting their nails. The found correlation indicated that the nail-biters were usually organizational perfectionists and that those who were leaning towards being organized and busy at all time also had the nail biting habit.

Are You a Perfectionist?

If you often find yourself biting your nails, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a perfectionist, but it may very well be so.

For those wondering whether or not they tend to be perfectionists, here’s a quick test consisting of several questions.

  • Are you hesitant about starting to work on projects?
  • Do you often act when you feel it is ‘the right moment’ to act?
  • Do you tend to have an “all or nothing” persona?
  • Are you angry or upset when you feel like you haven’t achieved your goals?
  • Do you tend to be incredibly hard on yourself?

If you’ve answered to the above questions with ‘yes,’ you have your answer. Yes, you are a perfectionist! This means that your nail biting is primarily related to your perfectionism and not other reasons.

Do you have the habit of biting your nails? Do you find the results of the study accurate? Share your opinion in the comments below!


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