Almost everyone picks their nose. In the largest survey of adults on the topic, 91% of 254 respondents admitted to being current nose pickers. Among adolescents, the numbers are even more striking: in a study of 200 teenagers published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, nearly the entire sample admitted to picking their nose, with a median frequency of four times per day. So if you searched this expecting a small, embarrassing minority, the reality is the opposite. Nose picking is one of the most universal human habits.
What the Surveys Actually Found
The most cited research on nose picking prevalence comes from two key studies. A 1995 survey mailed questionnaires to 1,000 adults in Wisconsin and received 254 responses. Of those, 91% said they currently pick their nose, though only 75% believed “almost everyone does it.” About 1.2% reported picking at least once every hour.
A later study of 200 adolescents found even higher engagement. The median teenager picked their nose four times a day. At the extreme end, 7.6% of the sample reported picking more than 20 times per day, and nearly 17% felt they had a serious nose-picking problem. These numbers suggest that while casual nose picking is nearly universal, a smaller but meaningful group does it compulsively enough to cause concern.
When a Habit Becomes a Problem
Occasional nose picking is harmless. But when it becomes frequent and hard to control, clinicians call it rhinotillexomania, a condition now classified alongside hair pulling and skin picking under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in the DSM-5. This isn’t a diagnosis given to anyone who absentmindedly picks their nose. It’s reserved for people whose picking is compulsive, causes physical damage, and persists despite efforts to stop. The diagnosis is typically made only after ruling out other causes of nasal injury, and it’s strengthened by a history of other psychiatric conditions.
Physical Risks of Frequent Picking
The inside of your nose is lined with delicate tissue and small blood vessels, which is why aggressive or chronic picking can lead to nosebleeds. Over time, repeated trauma to the nasal septum (the thin wall dividing your nostrils) can cause a perforation, essentially a hole in the cartilage. Symptoms of a perforated septum include a whistling sound when you breathe, crusting and dryness inside the nose, nasal obstruction, and sometimes a visible dip in the bridge of the nose.
Once a perforation exists, poking at it with a finger can tear the tissue further and introduce bacteria that cause infection. Smaller perforations sometimes heal on their own or can be managed with moisturizing sprays, while larger ones may require surgical repair.
Nose Picking and Infections
Your fingers carry bacteria, and your nose is a warm, moist environment where those bacteria thrive. A study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that nose pickers were significantly more likely to carry Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium responsible for skin infections and more serious complications. Among the patients studied, 53.6% of nose pickers carried the bacterium compared to 35.5% of non-pickers, roughly a 50% increase in risk.
Nose picking also appears to increase vulnerability to respiratory viruses. A study of 219 hospital healthcare workers during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, published in PLOS ONE, found that those who picked their nose had a SARS-CoV-2 infection rate of 17.3%, compared to just 5.9% among those who didn’t. That translated to roughly four times the odds of infection after adjusting for workplace exposure to COVID-19 patients. Interestingly, nail biting showed no similar association, suggesting the direct contact between fingers and nasal mucosa is the key factor.
How to Break the Habit
If your nose picking is driven by dryness or crusting, the fix is often straightforward: saline nasal sprays or a thin layer of petroleum jelly inside the nostrils can reduce the irritation that triggers picking in the first place. Keeping your nails trimmed short also makes it physically harder to pick and reduces the damage when you do.
For compulsive picking, the most effective approach is habit reversal training, a form of behavioral therapy. It works in stages. First, you learn to notice exactly when and where you pick, including the urges or situations that precede it. Many people are surprised to realize they pick dozens of times a day without awareness. Next, you develop a “competing response,” a replacement action that physically prevents picking. This could be something as simple as making a fist, clasping your hands together, or touching your ear. The replacement needs to be subtle enough to do anywhere and sustainable for at least a minute.
The final phase involves building social support. A therapist, family member, or friend helps reinforce the new behavior. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation can also help, since stress and anxiety are common triggers for body-focused repetitive behaviors. With consistent practice, the competing response gradually becomes automatic and the picking fades.