Biting their nails, pulling out the skin or the hair would be a behavioral disorder that would reveal the perfectionism of people, according to Canadian researchers.
Scientists from the University of Montreal (Canada) carried out a behavioral study with 48 volunteers, 24 of whom suffered from repetitive behaviors such as biting their nails. Participants took a questionnaire to rate their emotions, including boredom, anger, guilt, irritability and anxiety. Then, they underwent 4 situations which caused stress, a desire for relaxation, frustration and boredom.
“Compulsively pulling out the hair (trichotillomania), the skin (dermatillomania) or biting the nails (onychophagia), are part of what we call repetitive behaviors centered on the body. Although these behaviors can cause a strong sense of distress, they also seem to satisfy an impulse and offer some form of personal reward, ”says Kieron O’Connor, psychologist at the University of Montreal and co-author of the study. “We believe that these individuals (…) are possibly perfectionists, which means that they are unable to relax and perform tasks at a normal pace. As a result, they are more vulnerable to frustration, impatience, and dissatisfaction when they fail to achieve their goals. They also experience higher levels of boredom. ”
The results of the study show that people who bite their teeth fingernails are unable to do a task simply and relax. In addition, boredom and frustration increase their compulsive behavior.
“These results partially support our hypothesis that participants are more likely to use repetitive body-centered behaviors when they are bored, frustrated or dissatisfied than when they feel appeased. Explains Dr. Sarah Roberts, psychologist and lead author of the study.
“These findings suggest that individuals suffering from repetitive body-centered behaviors may benefit from treatments aimed at reducing frustration and boredom and changing beliefs of perfectionism.”
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