Rhinotillexomania

During dismissal last Friday, the kids in the kindergarten where I work in were lining up to go home. Kids are particular about many things, such as who they line up with, whether or not other people were jumping que etc. So, as I was on duty near the children, one little boy came up to me to complain that the girl he was lining up with left him to line up with someone else. Of course being a teacher, I was duty bound to "solve" the problem. The girl admitted to changing partners but she also took the trouble to inform me the reason she did that.

With her pointer jammed in her nose, she said "He do like that (wriggling finger) and then he hold my hand oh!" I was momentarity stunned and I gave the boy a really lame lesson on hygene and little girls. I was thinking about it the whole day so I thought I'd dig up some facts on nose-digging.

We've all caught someone at sometime picking their nose. Some try to do it in secret. Others do it openly without embarrassment. Maybe even you have been caught in the act. Nose-picking is one disgusting habit and is certainly not socially acceptable. So, are these people normal? One would guess that this is not the type of thing researched at our institutions of higher learning. Guess again. The Americans did.

Of course, scientists must give everyday things complicated scientific names. Nose picking is a term for us common folk. Nose-picking should really be referred to as rhinotillexomania (rhino=nose, tillexis=habit of picking at something, mania=obsession with something). So, the next time that you see a person picking their nose, tell them that they are a rhinotillexomaniac.

The researchers prepared their "Rhinotillexomania Questionnaire" and randomly mailed it to 1000 residents in Dane County, Wisconsin. Each survey included a cover letter that stated, "The University of Wisconsin is conducting a survey of a common but understudied habit scientifically known as 'rhinotillexomania'. Its common name is nose-picking."

Even better, the letter actually defined what nose-picking is: "Insertion of a finger (or other object) into the nose with the intention of removing dried nasal secretions." I'll bet that you already knew that. Can you imagine getting this survey in the mail? Even with the University's seal on the stationary, one would have to wonder whether this was a joke or not. Now for the results (assuming that they are reliable):

Of the 1000 surveys mailed out, only 254 were completed and returned to the researchers.· 8.7% claim that they have never picked their nose. (In other words, they are liars or they can't remember doing it as a kid.)

· 25.6% actually pick their noses daily, One lone soul claims to devote over 2 hours each day to this ritual (I'm not a doctor and I can tell you that this guy definitely has rhinotillexomania).

· 65.1% use their index finger, 20.2% use their pinky, and 16.4% use their thumb (must have BIG nostrils to fit a thumb in) as their instrument of choice.

· Most people (90.3%) disposed of the goop in a tissue or a handkerchief, while 28.6% used the floor, and 7.6% stuck it to the furniture.· 8% of the respondents actually ate the end product. In case you are thinking of trying this delicacy, the study claims that the pickings are quite tasty (salty).

So, what have we learned from this groundbreaking study? Basically, boogers apparently taste good, although I can guarantee to you that I will never do the taste testing to find out. And we are wondering why there is no cure for Cancer yet!

Interesting, huh? I though I'd like to know what our KL statistics will be like so friends, I'll be tagging u with a Rhinotillexomania tag. Excited? heheh!!

This story is based on the research titled Rhinotillexomania: Psychiatric Disorder or Habit? by James W. Jefferson, M.D. (Dean Foundation for Health, Research, and Education) and Trent D. Thompson, M.D. (University of Wisconsin Medical School) which appears in the February, 1995 issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (pages 56-59).