Editing Nose picking (section)

==Prevalence==
Nose picking is an extremely widespread habit: some surveys indicate that it is almost universal, with people picking their nose on average about four times a day.<ref name=Andrade>{{cite journal |first= Chittaranjan |last=Andrade |author2=B.S. Srihari  |title=A preliminary survey of rhinotillexomania in an adolescent sample |journal=The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry |volume=62 |issue=6 |pages=426–31 |year= 2001 |pmid=11465519 |doi=10.4088/JCP.v62n0605}} Reviewed in:
* {{cite news |first=Marc |last=Abrahams |author-link=Marc Abrahams |date=2008-08-19 |title=Why teenagers get right up your nose |work=[[The Guardian]] |series=Improbable research |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/aug/19/research.highereducation |access-date=2008-12-07}}
* {{cite book |first=Marc |last=Abrahams |author-link=Marc Abrahams |chapter=Nose Picking in Adolescents |title=The Ig Nobel prizes: the annals of improbable research |publisher=[[E.P. Dutton]] |location=[[New York City]] |year=2003 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ignobelprizesthe00abra/page/19 19–22] |isbn=0-525-94753-1 |oclc=52092050 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ignobelprizesthe00abra/page/19 }}</ref> A 1995 study of nose picking, requesting information from 1,000 randomly selected adults from Wisconsin USA gathered 254 responses. It defined nose picking as "the insertion of a finger (or other object) into the nose with the intention of removing dried nasal secretions". Of those who responded, 91% said they were current nose pickers (but only 75% of these believed everyone did it), and two respondents claimed to spend between 15 and 30 minutes and between one and two hours a day picking their noses.<ref name=jefferson1995>{{cite journal |first=James W. |last= Jefferson |author2=Trevor D.B. Thompson  |title=Rhinotillexomania: psychiatric disorder or habit? |journal=The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=56–9 |year=1995 |pmid=7852253}}</ref>

[[Mucous membrane]]s in the [[nasal cavity]] constantly produce a wet mucus that removes dust and [[pathogen]]s from the air flowing through the cavity. For the most part, the [[Cilium|cilia]] that also line the cavity work to move the mucus toward the throat, where it can be swallowed. However, not all the mucus stays fluid enough to be moved by the cilia. The closer the mucus is to the nostril opening, the more moisture it loses to the outside air, and the more likely it is to dry out and become stuck. Once dried, the mucus typically causes a sensation of irritation that leads to the compulsion to dislodge the [[itch]] by picking. Other reasons to remove excess dried mucus include impaired breathing through the nose and a concern that it may be visible to others in the nostril openings.

In some cultures, nose picking is considered a private act akin to defecation, urination, flatulence,  burping, or masturbation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snot My Fault {{!}} Psychology Today |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201401/snot-my-fault |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Mucophagy]], which is [[Eating mucus|eating the extracted mucus]], may be considered more taboo, and is sometimes portrayed in comedies.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}