Do you bite your nails ? .... may be you are perfectionist !!!

At Auckland, Suresh Raina hit a rollicking century as India recovered from a top-order collapse to prevail over minnows Zimbabwe by six wickets, finishing their group league engagements with a clean slate in the Cricket World Cup here today.  Raina’s unbeaten 110; equally important 85 by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and their record partnership of 196 took India from 92/4 to a win.  

Earlier, at Perth, India beat the West Indies by four wickets at Perth in a tense match that saw both sides losing wickets rapidly. Set 183 to win, the men in blue got home with 185 on board in 39.1 overs.  WI folded; the Indian innings was just a shade better, losing 4 wickets with just 78 on board. Things began to look up when Suresh Raina fell for 22 with 107 on board. Tension mounted in the Indian stands when Russell sent Jadeja back with 134 piled up for India. In the end – it was ‘nail-baiting’ of sorts as Dhoni alongwith  Ravichandran Ashwin partnered to deliver another win. 

“nail-biting”  -  a nail-biting event or period of time makes one feel very nervous, usually because one is waiting for something important to happen.

We have seen players, coaches and involved spectators biting and chewing their nails towards those suspense-filled last moments of the game.  This habit can harm  teeth and also herald disease.  Though not all resort to such tactic, nail biting is an extremely common disease (age is no bar), that is taken lightly by everyone and is usually brushed off as a 'bad habit'.  Nail biting, clinically known as Onychophagia, is an impulse control disorder, in which sufferers start biting their nails and the skin around the nails and cuticle, whenever they get anxious or nervous. For nail biters, the habit is a self-soothing action, a way to keep themselves alert and awake. According to dentists, it detrimental to oral health,  and  is unhygienic as well. It is stated that "Bacteria and germs from surroundings can enter through the oral cavity and infect one."

Nail-biting might have an underlying psychological problem, is what makes it grave. "Nail-biting is like an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) ? it is a clear indication of deep-rooted anxiety, passive aggression. It needs psychological treatment."   Nails are hard. So, when you bite, one cause excess stress to one’s  teeth. Over time, this weakens them and can eventually result in a tooth chipping or breaking." Nail biting, say experts, can permanently damage nails, gums and teeth and may cause teeth to become crooked and irregular." Nails carry visible and invisible dirt that clings on even after a wash. Doctors say this could cause various illnesses.

According to another report in MailOnline, those who bite nails, would probably be perfectionists.  Experts studied 48 people - half of whom suffered with repetitive behaviour.  People who suffer from repetitive behaviours are more likely to bite their nails or pull their hair when frustrated - which is a sign of perfectionism.  In tests, participants were more likely to start nibbling when frustrated and bored - both feelings commonly associated with perfectionists.

The so-called body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRB) included nail-biting, hair-pulling and skin-picking. 'We believe that individuals with these repetitive behaviours maybe perfectionistic, meaning that they are unable to relax and to perform tasks at a 'normal' pace,' said author Professor Kieron O'Connor from the University of Montreal. 'They also experience greater levels of boredom.'  He said there is a strong 'cognitive component' to this style of action typically accompanied by perfectionist beliefs relating to how organised a person is.  'Although these behaviours can induce important distress, they also seem to satisfy an urge and deliver some form of reward',  says Kieron O'Connor.

Each participant took part in four sessions designed to cause either feelings of stress, relaxation, frustration, or boredom. Individuals with a history of repetitive behaviours reported a greater urge to engage in these behaviours than those in the control group during the boredom and frustration sections than when relaxed. The stress session involved watching a video of a plane crash, while the video in the relaxation section showed waves on a beach. Individuals with a history of repetitive behaviours reported a greater urge to engage in these behaviours than those in the control group during the boredom and frustration sections, but not in the relaxation situation.

Frustration was triggered by asking the participants to complete a task that was supposedly easy and quick, but wasn't. Boredom was induced by leaving the participant alone in a room for six minutes. Individuals with a history of repetitive behaviours reported a greater urge to engage in these behaviours than those in the control group during the boredom and frustration sections, but not in the relaxation situation.  'The findings suggest that individuals suffering from [these] behaviours could benefit from treatments designed to reduce frustration and boredom and to modify perfectionist beliefs.' The findings are published in the Journal of Behaviour Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

16^th Mar 2015.