Talk:Nose picking/Archive 1

What about this theory?


I'd like to comment on what I've researched on this topic.

There are medical conditions associated with nose-picking. One is called rhinotillexomania, which is the compulsive picking of the nose, and can sometimes appear with trichotillomania, which is the compulsive plucking of hair or pulling the hair out of ones head, and can manifest in compulsively pulling hair from ones eyebrows, eyelashes, underarms, pubic region, beard, virtually anywhere one has hair. Other such compulsions include skin picking or cutting, eating, nail biting, the list goes on. Compulsivity can be related to psychological disorders such as borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Generally people who have such compulsions also experience excessive anxiety and distorted or poor self image and can be prone to suicide. People (including children) with these compulsions also report often feeling worried.

Suggested treatment is behavioural therapy [Habit Reversal Training (HRT) and Stimulus Control (SC)] combined with SSRI drugs. Because such compulsions respond well to anti-depressant medications, it is fair to assume there is a neurochemical cause.

This is just my research on the topic. I'm not a psychologist or any such professionally accredited person, I just read what I could find on the subject, and it's far from a complete synopsis of OCD. If you happen to suffer from this disorder you are far from being the only one, and I'd encourage you to speak to your doctor or a counsellor about this treatable problem. There is lots of info on the net if you need to learn more before you can come forward and help yourself.

Mate- that is absolute rubbish. I know a lot of people who pick their noses habitually and they do not have these disorders. You sound like a pyschologist with your half-arsed pyscho-analysis. This isn't an article for scaremongering and pseudo-pyschology. Stick to the day job.

I agree. Almost no one will want to know that, you idiot!

This is silly. Let's keep it! Ed Poor


 * I WAS KIDDING!!! (see User:Tarquin) I was kidding! nooooo (wail of anguish). what the heck. let's keep it. Tarquin


 * I was kidding too (except about the this is silly part). Should we delete the entire article, or what? Ed Poor


 * well, it covers the subject in a serious manner, with medical links. I'd like to know where the quotations come from. Tarquin


 * Two of the quotations came from well-known folklore and the third, about the furniture, came from a book of ironic aphorisms by a gentleman named Van Lane Ferguson. Another from that book:  "If you don't believe you exist, smell under your arms."


 * A kind correspondent has reminded me that the book is called We Bark at Midnight by Van Lane Ferguson, published by Tuttle. This talk page is evidently the only place on the www you can find this out.  Ortolan88


 * Aoooooooooooooooooouw! Put the quotations back in! Tarquin 11:43 20 December 2002 (UTC)


 * Another quote he sent me, "I guess being an ordinary, everyday Alabama commonlaw wife just wasn't good enough for Edna." The quote that was censored from the article by a humorless square was, "I know he picks his nose.  I felt under his furniture."  The other two square-censored quotes, not from the book, were, "How did you know I went to Harvard?"  "I noticed your class ring when you picked your nose."  And, "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose."  Ortolan88


 * I vote for restoring the censored quotes. They were refreshing and entertaining and interesting.  There's nothing wrong with an encyclopedia that has a bit of panache and cheek to it.  Having serious information is one thing, but being dry and dull is another.  I may just restore those quotes myself. Soulpatch


 * This isn't the most serious entry in the Wikipedia, but this is the first time I've been banned to bad jokes, etc. I put those quotes in, not entirely tongue in cheek, because I thought they gave an indication of the attitudes against nose-picking that society has.  Some people have no sense of humor, which, I maintain, is a genuine sense that helps us analyze and understand. Ortolan88

LOL. Thanks for the laugh! anthere


 * If they're real quotations, put them back in with the srouces! -- Tarquin


 * I don't understand the concept of "real quotations". Two of them were very common well-known jokes that I have heard and told for years.  One of them came from a very obscure source, so obscure I remember only the author (although the book is probably in my attic).  There's a legal concept called "taking judicial notice", meaning that a lawyer doesn't have to prove that the sun rose on the day in question, that the ocean is wet, etc.  They were in no way "false quotations", which I assume would mean that I had made them up, but "real quotations" does not, it seems to me, necessarily mean quotations with sources.  If I said, "It is magnificent, but it not war", I would give the source, but if I said, "Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs", I might not.  These quotations were in the latter category.  My goodness, if there is to be an article on nose-picking at all, no one is going to expect The Harvard Review of Near-Eastern Ontology and Metaphysics to be cited.  Ortolan88

-- If I can't cite The Harvard Review of Near-Eastern Ontology and Metaphysics I don't want to be in your revolution. :-)


 * ''Mettre ses doigts dans son nez
 * C'est degoutant, c'est malsain,
 * Alors qu'on peut les fourrer
 * Dans le nez de son voisin''
 * Jacques Charpentreau
 * Poor attempt at translation
 * Puts their fingers in their nose
 * it's disgusting, it's unhealthy,
 * Whereas one can line them
 * In the nose of his neighbor
 * Nastajus 03:14, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

"Bogey-flavoured beans"
Should the reference to "bogey-flavoured beans" be included in an article on nose-picking? I propose that it be moved to the (linked-to but as yet unwritten) article on snot-eating. I may be joking, of course.Oliver Pereira 10:58 11 November 2002 (UTC)

Sure, why not? It's nose-picking in popular culture, right? BunnyFlying (talk) 04:20, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Googling suggests that the author of "Rucker: a life fractal" is Eli Halberstam, not the author cited. Is this true?


 * Yes and no. "Rucker: a life fractal" is a fictional novel: it does not exist. It is mentioned in Paulos' book Beyond Numeracy, in which he explains what it would be, and by way of example writes a review of it.Tarquin

You may want to check out Henry A. Kissinger.Liftarn

Why on Earth does the article only say 'dried' mucous? And perhaps some altenative methods for extraction like the suction bellows I see toddlers getting stuck up their noses. Two16 17:21 9 January 2003 (UTC)

One thing is that, at least for some, dried mucus is bloody painful and itchy and there's no amount of wind that will dislocate it. I believe there are people whose physique just somehow causes this kind of buildup. This is a source of ridicule much like all those early-bird disdain toward people with delayed sleep phase syndrome. Why would it be a psychological disorder when it much more resembles ordinary physical reflexes?

Why yes, I am indeed writing a comment about this subject at half to four in the morning.blades 00:37, 11 May 2004 (UTC)

Be happy. You just made me vomit in my mouth.

Cultural Examination
I wonder if culture could be examined. A friend of mine in highschool explained to me that public nose-picking was common and was not considered inappropriate in the least back home in Jamaica. The idea was that they were keeping their nose clean. I didn't think to mention their unclean finger. =) -- Sy 18:15, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Nose picking in East and West
"Although a very common habit, it is a mildly taboo subject in most East Asian and Western cultures".

My guess is that someone first wrote "in most Western cultures" (probably by an expert in the wide field of Western culture). Later someone from an East Asian background (again, an expert) probably tagged the "East Asian" bit. I think it's safer if people just wrote "in most cultures" even if that makes you sound like an ignorant (Insert your country here)-ian by assuming that it is the same for other cultures. One should use common sense and write it as "in most cultures," implicitly implying the whole globe, especially since if it isn't true, others can correct it. It's slightly cocky to think one's own culture is the only one with hygiene or etiquette.

Actually when visiting East Africa (specifically Tanzania and Zanzibar) I noticed that it's not considered taboo at all to have a thorough route around your nose, inspect what you find and flick it wherever. Whilst sitting in a bar with friends. You might wonder if it's just the company I was keeping, but you'll also see it mentioned in guide books as well. So arrogant assumptions all round then!82.44.118.30 (talk) 21:17, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

Pictures
Today, Brookie and 24.18.2.187 decided to remove images from the article. I think they are both germane and should be put back. Image:Sexynose.jpg should definitely stay with the article. It goes along with the old saying, “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” (except, in this case, you can!) Why should it matter that one of the users of Wikipedia was the one who took the picture and started this article? At least this picture was contributed under the GFDL. —Chris Capoccia T&#8260;C 19:54, 3 August 2005 (UTC)


 * I totally agree. I took the sexynose pic and just think its a fun pic, which does a great job illustrating the text. It is even used on Unusual articles to illustrate it. I say they stay! JonMoore&mdash; nMo ore  20:30, 3 August 2005 (UTC)


 * The quote is fine. The primary picture is fine. The secondary picture is digusting and adds NOTHING to this piece. Boisemedia 00:56, 4 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Which picture are you referring to as primary? Both pictures involve picking a nose. Why is one worse than the other?  —Chris Capoccia  T&#8260;C 02:18, 4 August 2005 (UTC)


 * The image that is at the top of the page (this in the primary position) of one person picking his nose is needed to illustrate the article. The second is there just for some strange sense of vanity.  I cannot see what it adds.  The quote below it is fine, and actually quite appropriate -- but seeing people stick their digits in others noses does nothing for the integrity of this piece.  It seems rather… self serving.  Boisemedia 02:45, 4 August 2005 (UTC)


 * The picture in question does add to the piece because it shows that sometimes you can pick your friend’s nose, even though the popular saying says you can’t. A contribution is not self-serving just because the contributor appears in it. It is a unique picture that pushes the envelope of normal social interaction to contradict an aphorism.  —Chris Capoccia  T&#8260;C 3:21, 4 August  2005 (UTC)


 * I Agree with Boisemedia, Image should be removed, it really shouldn't appear in encyclopedia, come on, it's hard to take this article seriously when you see that picture, when I saw it I was thinking that it's a vandalism. Defufna 09:45, 23 June 2006 (UTC)


 * How is it self serving? I admit it is a picture I took. It is a humorous picture. The people at Unusual articles thought it was good enough to chose over the primary picture to illustrate the article. I had nothing to do with that choice. &mdash; [[User:JonMoore|&mdash;Jo nMo ore  20:24, 29 May 2006 (UTC)]] 03:03, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

The photo adds nothing. It looks far cleaner without. I left the quote in. 24.18.2.187 (talk) 21:45, 5 August 2005 (UTC)


 * 24.18.2.187, you should build some consensus when there is an active discussion about a revision before you impose your own individual sense of Aesthetics.  —Chris Capoccia  T&#8260;C 21:50, 5 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Have worked to build consensus. Have worked to compromise. Do you have a better compromise? 24.18.2.187 (talk) 13:52, 6 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Sorry, but anonymous users who only come to edit a single article with their own agenda are not interested in consensus or compromise. Get some real, logged-in users to agree with your POV. Starting a revert war is not very endearing.  —Chris Capoccia  T&#8260;C 13:57, 6 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Let's try this - putting that picture with the quotations actually makes a lot of sense -- the "Aesthetics" are better (I guess), and makes the layout flow better. Boisemedia 17:11, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

Are There Any Women Here Today?
(a quote from Monty Python's Life of Brian)

I don't see any mention of the fairer sex in the article. Are we to assume that the feminine gender don't indulge, or is there bias in the reporting? Enquiring minds wish to know...

My contribution to the folklore: a little ditty from my childhood, which I can't at the moment dignify with a source of reference:

Everybody's doin' it, doin' it, doin' it, Pickin' their nose an' chewin' it, chewin' it...

It might have been Shakespeare but I couldn't swear to it.
 * As it happens, it was Irving Berlin and the reference is Everybody's Doing It Now. AncientBrit 22:09, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

If there is a vote to retain/remove I vote for retain. Some say that's because I'm retentive... AncientBrit 21:59, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

This is the talk page - has that reference been removed from the main article page ? I'd vote for keeping 'doing it' in a 'cultural references' section. I don't see any mention of the less-fair sex in the article, either - I think the bias is in the reading, not the writing.Maybe the photos? 195.137.93.171 05:20, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Unusual articles links here with a picture of a lady indulging...195.137.93.171 05:23, 4 October 2007 (UTC)