I absolutely love picking my nose and eating bogies! But will this make me ill?

We’ve all watched distastefully as our toddlers’ fingers creep towards their nose, dig around for a bogie, and whip it into their mouth. Of course, we would never do that ourselves. Not even when our cameras are turned off during a video conference. Never.

The technical name for bogie-eating is mucophagy, and when it becomes a true, obsessional habit, it is known as rhinotillexomania. But is this behaviour safe? After all, bogies are made of bacteria, viruses and dirt that get trapped by the little hairs and mucus in your nose.

Some argue that eating them might be good for us. The ‘hygiene hypothesis’ is a theory that early exposure to germs and certain infections can boost the development of the immune system. But all of this has been difficult to prove; as you might imagine, it’s hard to recruit enough volunteers for a proper study on bogie dining.

All in all, it’s probably not a great idea. If your hands are carrying bacteria or viruses, the act of sticking them up your nose can lead to illness. And if you’re the one that’s carrying a bacteria or virus, you’re more likely to spread it if you don’t wash your hands afterwards.

So next time you or your toddler are tempted to snack on your nose greens, try to reach for a tissue instead – it’s probably not worth the risk.

Read more:

• Why do young children pick their noses and eat it?
• Why do humans feel disgust?
• Why is snot green?
• Why do we get a runny nose after we cry?

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