Nose-picking

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Nose-picking
Classification and external resources
A man picking his nose
ICD-10	F98.8

Nose-picking (rhinotillexomania when compulsive^[1]), is the act of extracting dried nasal mucus and/or foreign bodies from the nose with a finger.

Contents 1 Prevalence 2 Medical risks 3 Social acceptance as main issue 4 Health benefits 5 Nose-picking in popular culture 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Prevalence

Nose-picking is an extremely common habit, with some surveys indicating that it is almost universal, with people picking their nose an average of about four times a day. ^[2] A 1995 study into nose picking, requesting information from 1,000 randomly selected adults, gathered 254 respondents. It defined nose-picking as "the insertion of a finger (or other object) into the nose with the intention of removing dried nasal secretions". Of those who responded, 91% said they were current nose pickers (but only 75% of these believed everyone did it) and two people claimed to spend between 15 to 30 minutes and one to two hours a day picking their nose.^[3]

The mucous membranes constantly produce wet mucus that is exposed to the air. Once dried, the mucus typically causes a sensation of irritation that leads to the compulsion to dislodge the itch by picking.

[edit] Medical risks

Nose-picking, according to conventional wisdom^[vague], may carry a number of medical risks, thus some doctors recommend against it and encourage the use of a tissue instead, although others claim the finger is more sensitive, and is more indicated^{[citation needed]}. Risks may include nasal infections,^[4] occasional nosebleeds (in 25% of those who pick their nose, considering that most of the population picks their nose occasionally)^[2] and in rare cases perforation of the nasal septum or self-induced ethmoidectomy.^[5] Nose picking, however, should not affect the sense of smell, as the nasal cavity where the olfactory nerves are located is too high up to reach. Also, due to the special nature of the blood supply to the nose and surrounding area, it is possible for retrograde infections from the nasal area to spread to the brain, although this scenario is unlikely to arise from normal rhinotillexis. For this reason, the area from the corners of the mouth to the bridge of the nose, including the nose and maxilla, is known to doctors as the "danger triangle of the face."

Nose-picking can become medical issue if it becomes a body-focused repetitive behavior or obsessive compulsive disorder^[6][7] , at which point the accepted medical term is rhinotillexomania (etymology: Greek, rhino "nose" + tillexis "habit of picking" + mania). Most cases do not meet this pathological threshold.^[3]

[edit] Social acceptance as main issue

The main issue about nose picking is social acceptance: as defecation, urination, belching, nose-picking should not be seen in public, although everybody occasionally does it.

[edit] Health benefits

It has been widely reported that Friedrich Bischinger, a lung specialist at Privatklinik Hochrum in Innsbruck,^[8] claims that nose-picking combined with nasal mucus eating is beneficial for the immune system.^[9][10]

[edit] Nose-picking in popular culture

• An episode of the show Seinfeld called The Pick spoofed nose-picking with a plot about Jerry's girlfriend catching him picking his nose.^[11]
• In Jacques Tati's film Trafic there is a scene in which all the motorists stop at traffic light to pick their noses.^{[citation needed]}
• In The Lion King 1½, there is a scene in which Pumbaa exits the cinema to get some snacks. While he is gone, Timon starts picking his nose humming It's a Small World. Pumbaa then comes back and Timon quickly wipes the evidence on a chair. Pumbaa asks "Were you just picking your nose?" to which Timon replies "No, I had an itch on the inside".^[12]
• In Mulan, at one part we see a man picking his nose with Mushu saying "beautiful, isn't it?". Mulan says "They're disgusting" to which Mushu replies "No, they're men."^[13]
• The 1968 Mothers of Invention song "Let's Make The Water Turn Black" tells a true story of an adolescent acquaintance of composer Frank Zappa who habitually saved his own extracted mucus on the pane of his bedroom window.^[14]
• In anime and manga, delinquents, punks, and the like, are often seen picking their noses when threatening people. It is also commonly used when a character suddenly becomes "delinquint-ish".
• In Family Guy Peter picks his nose and pulls out mucus. He walks over to Meg and wipes it on Meg's hat and says "Hey Meg, proud of you".
• In the 1980 comedy Caddyshack, there is a scene when a bunch of Golf Caddies hide behind a bush watching Ted Knight's Grandson picking his nose and taking bets on it and if he will then eat it.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Mucus
• Hygiene
• Nasal irrigation

[edit] External links

Look up nose-picking in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nose-picking

• BBC home: The Truth About Nose-picking
• Toddlers and Nose Picking
• Adams, Cecil (1982-08-20). "Can you die from picking your nose?". The Straight Dope. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_270b.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-18. 
• Ilori, Kemi (2007-06-19). "Nose Picking: The interesting and funny habit". The Daily Sun. http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/goodhealth/2007/june/19/goodhealth-19-06-2007-004.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-18. 
• "Man dies from picking his nose". The Daily Telegraph. 2008-12-05. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3566273/Man-dies-from-picking-his-nose.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-18. 
• (In fact) Nose-picking favorite occupation of the Dutch (March 2007) (Dutch) Translated version
• Another article on same topic (August 2008) (Dutch) Translated version
• For an elaborate spoof, see "Nose-picking in the Pongidae and Its Implication for Human Evolution", said to be from the American Journal of Nasal Anatomy, (1987)