Why you should actually be happy if you (often) bite your nails

Do you often have stubs instead of long tickle-me-please-just-for-a-moment nails and do you gnaw away undisturbed until your cuticles tear and hurt?

Take it easy, autumn breezy. It's not a big deal to bite your nails. It's far from a weird nervous tic, because girls who gnaw are actually perfectionists. This is concluded by researchers from the University of Montreal. It's not that bad, because perfectionists like to do everything just right and organized in life. And especially when they are bored and have some ultimate me-time – and thus have nothing to organize – they start on their nails and scratch and bite them the nail polish off as quickly as possible.

Moreover, other research shows that nail biters are more successful. Because you are quite critical of yourself in your work life and in your private life, as a perfectionist. That's not fun every day, but it does get you far in the long run. You would also be healthier if you frequently nibble on your hands. There are of course quite a few bacteria under your nails – so you inadvertently ingest them. But this does give your immune system a boost. Your body automatically produces antibodies this way, and a flu is therefore no longer lurking around you.

Okay, okay, of course not everything is equally fun about nail biting. Chewing on your fingers is indeed a tiny bit of a sign of stress. People tend to bite their nails most often when they feel that their goals are not being met or when they are frustrated. In short: when they have a little worry.

But hey, in the long run: do you care that you don't have charming long red-painted scratchers? And if it relaxes you in times of stress – who cares. As long as your partner is also nicely perfectionistic and gnaws along with you, you are just nicely watch nail-less. Only that scratching on the backs becomes a bit tricky, but oh well. Instead, do you just do something completely different in bed?

FACTS

– Fingernails grow 3 to 4 times faster than toenails. They also resemble your hair, because both your hairstyle and your nails are mostly made of keratin.
– If you lose a nail, it takes a month for it to fully grow back. By the way, the nail on your thumb grows the slowest.
– Bad luck for us: men's nails grow faster than women's.

Source image: Pinterest