# Nose picking

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-picking/350547>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 30, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-picking/350547 "2006-03-30T15:23:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tjmaxwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a4c791/32.png) [@tjmaxwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tjmaxwell)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-picking/350547/1 "2006-03-30T15:23:31Z")

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I am commenting on Leo the nose picker. Cecil here is a full study on the subject. WOW

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.)

91% stated that they had picked their nose in the past and were still actively practicing this habit. Yet, only 49.2% of the respondents actually thought that nose-picking was common in adults.

9.2% rate their pickin’ as “more than average.”

25.6% actually pick their noses daily, 22.3% do it 2 to 5 times each day, and three people admitted to doing it at least hourly.

55.5% spent 1-5 minutes, 23.5% spent 5-15 minutes, and 0.8% (2 people) spent 15-30 minutes each day cleaning their nostrils. 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).

18% reported nosebleeds, while 0.8% claimed perforation of the nasal septum from their nose-picking.

82.8% had picked their noses to “unclog the nasal passages”, 66.4% had done it to relieve discomfort or itchiness, 35.7% to avoid the unsightly appearance of a booger hanging from their nose, 34.0% for personal hygiene, and 17.2% picked out of habit. 2.1% (five people) claimed to pick solely for enjoyment. To no one’s surprise, one perverted person picked his/her nose for “sexual stimulation.”

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).

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nose-picking/350547/2 "2006-03-30T16:58:46Z")

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Welcome to the SDMB, tjmaxwell.

A link to the column that you’re commenting on is appreciated. Providing one can be as simple as pasting the URL into your post, making sure to leave a blank space on either side of it. Like so: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_270b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_270b.html)