# what is the purpose of fingernails **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272 "2000-08-05T20:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![steeljaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@steeljaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steeljaw)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/1 "2000-08-05T20:15:50Z")
Um, yeah. I know what they are made of and I have a few ideas of why they are there, but it’s all just speculation. Any help? I searched the archives and didn’t find much. Consequently, if somebody else puts a link on here to one of Cecil’s columns regarding the subject, I;m gonna smack myself. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/2 "2000-08-05T20:41:14Z")
A WAG, but they might be used for aiding in gripping things for prehistoric man. They also might help support your fingertip (read: prevent it from bendning backwards). That is my first WAG ever :D! ---
**Author:** ![TNTruth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@TNTruth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TNTruth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/3 "2000-08-05T20:55:50Z")
Speaker, Don’t feel bad, I WAG all the time. I always thought fingernails were there to keep you from crushing your fingertip when you hit it with a hammer, or rock. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/4 "2000-08-05T20:57:40Z")
Fingernails are for scratching. Scratching other people’s backs helps us bond. Any other use is merely a happy side-effect. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/5 "2000-08-05T21:27:18Z")
I always figured thast since humans now clip their fingernails that they’ve lost their original function - protection. They are, for lack of a better explanation, claws for humans. I also remember my science teacher (way back about 12-15 years ago) saying something about how they protect the fingertips because of all the nerve ending we have there. Of course, I have no documentation to back this up, just a theory of mine and a possibly mis-remembered statement from a high school science teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/6 "2000-08-05T21:58:30Z")
Aren’t they also for protection? Excuse my stupidity…but what is WAG? ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/7 "2000-08-05T22:32:45Z")
Guinastasia- WAG= Wild Ass Guess. Go [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32636) to find other terms as well. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/8 "2000-08-05T22:56:16Z")
I’m gonna go with Brat and say they’re vestigial claws. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/9 "2000-08-05T23:31:44Z")
Thank you, Cnote. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/10 "2000-08-06T00:20:46Z")
In the DC area the purpose they serve is so Chinese nail parlors can make money off black women who like to wear them so long and decorated they are the tackiest thing you can imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/11 "2000-08-06T00:46:40Z")
sailor, the best is when people get little earrings and things pierced into the nails. Nothing like a nice hoop on the pointer finger to turn ya on, eh? ---
**Author:** ![steeljaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@steeljaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steeljaw)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/12 "2000-08-06T01:05:07Z")
Cnote, I was wondering the same thing. Glad you asked so I didn’t have to. So am I to conclude that fingernails have long since lost their original purpose and now serve as nothing more than an entreprenurial catalyst? Good enough for me. Maybe people will start putting big clocks n’ stuff in their fingernails just like flava flav does around his neck. That would be just…dope… Was that a pun? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/13 "2000-08-06T01:13:18Z")
One nice thing about nail piercings: NON-permanent… ---
**Author:** ![popokis5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@popokis5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/popokis5)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/14 "2000-08-06T02:57:43Z")
We just had this question in a medical class I was taking–they were used as tools, and protection (not much protection that I can see-I don’t think a saber-tooth tiger cares if you are scratching at his face). But for a tool, that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/15 "2000-08-06T03:06:21Z")
They’re to open pocketknives that have that d@mned tiny little groove in the blade instead of a Spyderco[sup]TM[/sup]-style thumbhole. ---
**Author:** ![beakerxf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@beakerxf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beakerxf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/16 "2000-08-06T04:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by steeljaw \* > \*\*So am I to conclude that fingernails have long since lost their original purpose and now serve as nothing more than an entreprenurial catalyst? Good enough for me. > \*\* What?! Lost their original purpose?! They have only just now come to realize their true purpose. It’s clear that God gave us fingernails for clawing our way through music CD shrink wrap. ---
**Author:** ![steeljaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@steeljaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steeljaw)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/17 "2000-08-06T04:58:44Z")
The answer was right in front of my face and I didn’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/18 "2000-08-06T05:37:16Z")
That can’t be good. Anyway, I think this has been covered well, but I just had to add this. They’re there for our nerves. What would a nervous person do without fingernails to chew on? ---
**Author:** ![steeljaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@steeljaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steeljaw)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-fingernails/28272/19 "2000-08-06T05:50:39Z")
yeah my monitor is covered in cd shrink wrap. isn’t yours?