why do some people have a habit of biting their nails?

HellO! Here's an info about nail biting I found online: Nail biting is the habit of biting one's fingernails and toenails during periods of nervousness, stress, hunger, or boredom. It can also be a sign of mental or emotional disorder. According to Freudian theory, nail biting a symptom of oral fixation. The clinical name of nail biting is chronic onychophagia. The negative effect of nail biting is it may result in the transportation of bacteria that are buried under the surface of the nail that are hard to clean and easy to get into your mouth. Likewise, a broken skin on the cuticle may be susceptible to microbial and viral infections. These pathogens can be spread between digits via saliva. Extreme nail biting can be considered to be a form of masochistic self-mutilation. Bitten fingertips can become very sensitive to pain, usually that the place the skin meets the edge of the nail. I do play biting my nail but not biting it like ripping the nail off..ewww..just thinking of it makes me ouch! my hubby and his son does.. my hubby only when he's thinking and nervous but most of the times only when his nails are long. I always stop him everytime he does it, now I always cut his nail very short so there's no nail for him to bite. LOL! and eventually he stopped. Thanks. ciao! :D

As a healer I believe that when a person is trying to eat his/her nails has a deep meaning that s/he is eating her/himself regarding the weekness, in the consideration that this weekness is unwanted but cant able to remove so just cutting it down! Are you surprized reading this? The psychology has simplyfied that as a lack of selfconfidence! And well, its an indicator of the on going inside things about the person that's the main thing! It is just not nervousness only!

No one in my family is a nail biter. My son uses clippers to clip his finger nails down to the quick and beyond and this drives me nuts. He gets infections from cutting them too far down! I know that most people do it as a nervous habit, but I can't understand why you would want to do that. You never know what you might have under your nails!

Here's an article I found about biting nails. Maybe this would help. Nail-biting (onychophagia) is a common stress-relieving habit. You may bite your nails in times of stress or excitement, or in times of boredom or inactivity. It can also be a learned behavior from family members. Nail-biting is the most common of the typical "nervous habits," which include thumb-sucking, nose-picking, hair-twisting or -pulling, tooth-grinding, and picking at skin. You may bite your nails without realizing you are doing it. You might be involved in another activity, such as reading, watching television, or talking on the phone, and bite your nails without thinking about it. Nail-biting includes biting the cuticle and soft tissue surrounding the nail as well as biting the nail itself. Who bites their nails? People of all ages bite their nails.1 * About 50% of children between the ages of 10 and 18 bite their nails at one time or another. Nail-biting occurs most often as teens are going through puberty changes. * About 23% of young adults, ages 18 to 22 years, bite their nails. * Only a small number of other adults bite their nails. Most people stop biting their nails on their own by age 30. About 10% of men over the age of 30 bite their nails. * Boys bite their nails more often than girls after age 10. Nail-biting may occur with other body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB) such as hair-pulling or skin-picking. What treatments are available for nail-biting? Several treatment measures may help you stop biting your nails. Some focus on behavior changes and some focus on physical barriers to nail-biting. * Keep your nails trimmed and filed. Taking care of your nails can help reduce your nail-biting habit and encourage you to keep your nails attractive. * Have a manicure regularly or use nail polish. Men can use a clear polish. Wearing artificial nails may stop you from biting your nails and protect them as they grow out. * Try stress-management techniques if you bite your nails because you are anxious or stressed. * Paint a bitter-tasting polish, such as CONTROL-IT or Thum, on your nails. The awful taste will remind you to stop every time you start to bite your nails. * Try substituting another activity, such as drawing or writing or squeezing a stress ball or Silly Putty, when you find yourself biting your nails. If you keep a record of nail-biting, you will become more aware of the times when you bite your nails and be able to stop the habit. * Wear gloves, adhesive bandages, or colored stickers whenever possible to remind you not to bite your nails. * Snap a rubber band on the inside of your wrist when you start to bite your nails so you have a negative physical response to nail-biting. Children may bite their nails more often when they are having problems at school or with friends. Talk with your child or his or her teacher about any new stress at school. Children are more likely to stop biting their nails when they understand what may trigger it. It is also important for your child to help choose a treatment method so he or she can use the treatment successfully. What problems can develop from nail-biting? Nail-biting can cause your fingertips to be red and sore and your cuticles to bleed. Nail-biting also increases your risk for infections around your nailbeds and in your mouth. Dental problems and infections of the gums can be caused by nail-biting. Long-term nail-biting can also interfere with normal nail growth and cause deformed nails. Rarely, nail-biting may be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD symptoms are usually treated with medications.

Hi josan181237! My aunt does bite her nails even they get really, really short even until now that she is in her mid-50s. They say it is a sign of insecurity or fears when they were children and then as they grow older it already became a habit. My young niece is biting her fingernails too when she's just 3 years old but we put some chili one her nails until she stopped the habit. It worked and she never bite her fingernails since then. Take care and have a nice day!

When i was young, i don't haven't nails, literally, i biting all of them every time even my feet nails. They was nerves, or maybe anxiety, don't know what was, but i really was sick with this. Now i surpassed that habit, and i am feeling real better.

people bite their nails when they are thinkins ome thing and are thinking if they can do it. apple.

I used to bite my nails all the time. But when ever I did people told me to stop. I eventually just stopped and now never bite my nails. I'm not really sure why I did it. It's just a way to stop thinking of stuff. Also if you need to cut your nails and you don't have nail clippers around it works out lol.

I've been doing it since I was really young. I think its just like anything else...a bad habit. I don't know where I learned it, but its something that I"ve stopped & started over the years. Mainly I notice that I do it now when I"m nervous or stressed about something.

I have this habit ... i don't know why ... when i see i'm there biting my nails ... it's kind of pleasure ... even if i'm not nervous ... you should put pepper in the person nail ... so when he will bit that good taste will make he never want to bit again(maybe) ...