Nose-picking
Encyclopedia
Nose-picking is the act of extracting dried nasal mucus
or foreign bodies from the nose
with a finger
. Despite being a very common habit, it is a mildly taboo
activity in most culture
s, and the observation of the activity in another person may provoke mixed feelings of disgust
and amusement
. The Latin name for nose-picking, rhinotillexis, is sometimes used in medical literature.
Mucous membrane
s in the nasal cavity
constantly produce a wet mucus that removes dust and pathogens from the air flowing through the cavity. For the most part, the cilia that also line the cavity work to move the mucus toward the throat where it can be swallowed. However, not all the mucus stays fluid enough to be moved by the cilia. The closer the mucus is to the nostril opening, the more moisture it loses to the outside air, and the more likely it is to dry out and become stuck. Once dried, the mucus typically causes a sensation of irritation that leads to the compulsion to dislodge the itch
by picking.
In many cultures nose-picking is considered a private act akin to defecation
, urination
, flatulence
, and belching. Mucophagy
, the act of eating the extracted mucus, may be considered more taboo, and is sometimes portrayed in comedies. To be caught nose-picking may be considered humiliating.
or obsessive–compulsive disorder it is known as rhinotillexomania. Most cases do not meet this pathological threshold.
and self-induced ethmoidectomy
. 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.
at Privatklinik Hochrum in Innsbruck
, claims that nose-picking combined with nasal mucus eating is beneficial for the immune system
.
song "Let's Make The Water Turn Black
". The song 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.
Dried nasal mucus
Dried nasal mucus, pieces of which are colloquially known as bogeys in English and boogers in American, is commonly found in the nose and is a result of drying of the normally viscous colloidal mucus .-Formation:...
or foreign bodies from the nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
with a finger
Finger
A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....
. Despite being a very common habit, it is a mildly taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
activity in most culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s, and the observation of the activity in another person may provoke mixed feelings of disgust
Disgust
Disgust is a type of aversion that involves withdrawing from a person or object with strong expressions of revulsion whether real or pretended. It is one of the basic emotions and is typically associated with things that are regarded as unclean, inedible, infectious, gory or otherwise offensive...
and amusement
Amusement
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations, and is associated with enjoyment, happiness, laughter and pleasure...
. The Latin name for nose-picking, rhinotillexis, is sometimes used in medical literature.
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. 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 fifteen to thirty minutes and one to two hours a day picking their nose.Mucous membrane
Mucous membrane
The mucous membranes are linings of mostly endodermal origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion. They line cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organs...
s in the nasal cavity
Nasal cavity
The nasal cavity is a large air filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face.- Function :The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the other areas of the respiratory tract...
constantly produce a wet mucus that removes dust and pathogens from the air flowing through the cavity. For the most part, the cilia that also line the cavity work to move the mucus toward the throat where it can be swallowed. However, not all the mucus stays fluid enough to be moved by the cilia. The closer the mucus is to the nostril opening, the more moisture it loses to the outside air, and the more likely it is to dry out and become stuck. Once dried, the mucus typically causes a sensation of irritation that leads to the compulsion to dislodge the itch
Itch
Itch is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to classify it as any one type of sensory experience. Modern science has shown that itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant sensory experiences, their behavioral response...
by picking.
In many cultures nose-picking is considered a private act akin to defecation
Defecation
Defecation is the final act of digestion by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Waves of muscular contraction known as peristalsis in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum...
, urination
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
, flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
, and belching. Mucophagy
Mucophagy
Mucophagy is feeding on mucus of fishes or invertebrates. It may also refer to consumption of mucus or dried mucus in primates.There are mucophagous parasites, such as some sea lice that attach themselves to gill segments of fish....
, the act of eating the extracted mucus, may be considered more taboo, and is sometimes portrayed in comedies. To be caught nose-picking may be considered humiliating.
Rhinotillexomania
When nose picking becomes a body-focused repetitive behaviorBody-focused repetitive behavior
Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior is an umbrella name for impulse control behaviors involving compulsively damaging one's physical appearance or causing physical injury.The main BFRB disorders are:*Trichotillomania, compulsive hair pulling...
or obsessive–compulsive disorder it is known as rhinotillexomania. Most cases do not meet this pathological threshold.
Medical risks
Risks may include an increase in the diversity of nose flora, or occasional nosebleeds. One case of rhinotillexomania resulted in perforation of the nasal septumNasal septum
The nasal septum separates the left and right airways in the nose, dividing the two nostrils.It is depressed by the Depressor septi nasi muscle.-Composition:The fleshy external end of the nasal septum is sometimes also called columella....
and self-induced ethmoidectomy
Ethmoidectomy
Ethmoidectomy is the medical name for a procedure that involves removing the partitions between the ethmoid sinuses in order to create larger sinus cavities. This procedure treats sinus infections and sinus obstructions that have been the cause of chronic sinus problems. The procedure may also...
. Nose picking, however, should not affect the sense of smell
Olfaction
Olfaction is the sense of smell. This sense is mediated by specialized sensory cells of the nasal cavity of vertebrates, and, by analogy, sensory cells of the antennae of invertebrates...
, as the nasal cavity
Nasal cavity
The nasal cavity is a large air filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face.- Function :The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the other areas of the respiratory tract...
where the olfactory nerves are located is too high up to reach.
Health benefits
Friedrich Bischinger, a lung specialistPulmonology
In medicine, pulmonology is the specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract and respiratory disease. It is called chest medicine and respiratory medicine in some countries and areas...
at Privatklinik Hochrum in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, claims that nose-picking combined with nasal mucus eating is beneficial for the immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
.
Cultural references
A popular saying in many English-speaking countries is, "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose". An unusual popular culture reference may be found in the 1968 Mothers of InventionThe Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...
song "Let's Make The Water Turn Black
Let's Make The Water Turn Black
"Let's Make The Water Turn Black" is a song which first appeared on the 1968 Mothers of Invention album We're Only in It for the Money and later on the 1995 compilation album Strictly Commercial....
". The song tells a true story of an adolescent acquaintance of composer Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
who habitually saved his own extracted mucus on the pane of his bedroom window.
External links
- BBC home: The Truth About Nose-picking
- Toddlers and Nose Picking
- (In fact) Nose-picking favorite occupation of the Dutch (March 2007) Translated version
- Another article on same topic (August 2008) Translated version
- For an elaborate spoofParodyA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, see "Nose-picking in the Pongidae and Its Implication for Human Evolution", said to be from the American Journal of Nasal Anatomy, (1987)