By Adam Asher
It’s late on Saturday afternoon and I’m cuddled up with my girlfriend as we watch a movie. We’ve fallen into our favorite positions, her head on my shoulder and my arm around her, her legs over mine, and a bowl of popcorn in her lap. I could not possibly be more comfortable.
Suddenly, panic strikes. I’ve got an itch in my nose! Not on my nose, in it.
We haven’t been dating for that long so I don’t know if I’m allowed to pick my nose in front of her. That’s a big step. I know I can burp, I definitely can’t fart, so I suppose picking my nose lies somewhere in between.
She turns her head for a second.
I go for it.
Phew! That was satisfying.
As I discretely rub my finger on my jeans, I begin to wonder what’s so gross about picking your nose anyway. It seems like a perfectly natural response. Something is annoying (a dried up booger), so I take care of it (by jabbing it with my index finger). And it’s not like I’m the only one who does it.
Driving on the highway, it’s not uncommon to look over and notice someone in the car next to you, knuckle-deep in his nose as if he’ll win a prize for finding something. You might see a similar action being performed in the library, in class, or even at a restaurant. The truth is, almost everyone has gone for that hard-to-reach booger at some point, and it’s not a habit that dies after early childhood.
“So many people do so many gross things at home without washing their hands,” says sophomore Phil Stanley, a proud public picker, “I’m not really worried about people who pick their nose.”
Junior Lauren Jarema says she is strictly a private picker. Unlike Phil, when she sees a nose picker, it’s the only thing on her mind.
“I’m pretty grossed out and I make a mental note to myself not to let them touch my food.”
Gary Laverty, associate professor of biological sciences, says besides causing some irritation, nose picking probably is not causing anyone any harm.
According to Laverty, small hair-like structures in your nose, called cilia, trap bacteria and microorganisms from the air to prevent them from getting into sensitive tissue in your lungs. At the same time, cells in the nose secrete mucus to help trap the same incoming bacteria. In dry conditions, the mucus can lose moisture and get stuck in the nose, hence producing what are commonly referred to as “boogers,” “snot,” or maybe even “phlegm.”
“I think most people do it,” says Jarema. “That’s like asking how many people pick their wedgies. If you’re alone and something’s bothering you up there, it’s only natural to want to ease the discomfort.”
Her suspicions are correct. In a study done by the Journal of Psychiatry in 1995, 91 percent of the people polled stated that they had picked their nose in the past and were still actively practicing this habit. Only approximately 8 percent said they have never tried it.
Liars.
Believe it or not, scientists have actually assigned a name to the habit. Rhinotillexomania is the official title for an obsession with nose picking.
According to Dr. Lee Baer, a psychologist with the Massachusetts general hospital, the disease is related to Tourettes. Although Baer has never dealt with any problem pickers directly, he has patients with torettes who exhibit some of the characteristics.
“It only comes up in inappropriate situations,” he says “when someone is under stress or feels uncomfortable, they might pick, and once they start they can’t stop.”
There are no truly socially acceptable situations in which to pick, although it seems that people let constrictions slide every once in a while.
Freshman Bari Grossman says she used to be strongly against picking, but a new nose piercing has changed her outlook on things, offering a loophole in the taboo. Now that she is used to getting her hands dirty to adjust the stud in her right nostril, she says she is over the “gross factor,” and people don’t mind when she adjusts her piercing in public, but she still thinks it is an act that should kept at home.
“We are a society that values cleanliness,” she says “that’s what tissues are for.”
According to students abroad, this is a quality that is not only unique to American society. Junior Kim Clanet, who is currently studying in Paris, France, says she has gotten some strange looks while picking in public. Junior Maayan Vodovis says it is also taboo in Israel, where she is currently studying.
However there are certainly other options than just the comfort of your own home. Grossman suggests going to the bathroom if you need to pick. However, as portrayed in an episode of Seinfeld, some people feel more comfortable picking while traveling.
“Not as many people can see you in your car,” he says. “It’s like a refuge for nose picking.”
Vodovis says this is very common in Israel.
“When men here stop at red lights, they go straight for their nose,” she said.
Dr. Baer says we may actually be genetically predisposed to compulsive picking, but for those who aren’t how much nose picking is too much picking?
Columbia University’s health services offers medical based question and answer service to its students called “Ask Alice.” In 1996 a student had the same question, and Alice had an answer.
“Avid nose-pickers, such as yourself, may see more pimples in and around the nose due to increased oil deposits from the fingers. For a very small minority of the nostril-inclined, the consequences of their behavior have been nothing to sneeze at. Alice knows of one vigorous young nose-picker who broke a blood vessel that required cauterization (a burning process that deadens tissue) to halt the bleeding that resulted.”
In talking with students about their habits, which everyone admitted to indulging in occasionally, I couldn’t help but notice a significant difference in the male attitude towards the act.
“It’s always generally accepted that guys can do gross things and not be as harshly judged for those actions,” says Jarema.
Stanley plays right into her stereotype, describing his practice of flicking boogers in his living room. “Guys are more apt to not care, “he says. “But I’ve seen many a girl do it too, so they don’t get off that easy.”
Speaking of girls, back to my dilemma. To pick or not to pick? Will she giggle and roll her eyes or run away in fear?
Jarema has a clear stance on the subject and offered some advice. “I’d fart before I’d pick my nose,” she says.
Wise words.
