Do you twist your hair, bite your nails, or tap your foot without even realizing? According to a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal, it might mean you're a perfectionist.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Behavior worked with 48 participants. Half engaged in repetitive body-focused behavior, and the other participants acted as a control group. Participants were asked questions about when they felt emotions like boredom, guilt, anger, anxiety, and irritability and were then exposed to situations designed to provoke these emotions.
The researchers found that those participants with a history of body-focused behavior described greater urges to engage in those behaviors when they were feeling frustrated and stressed.
How are these body-focused behaviors linked to perfectionism?
Kieron O'Connor, PhD, shares the recent study that links body-focused behavior with perfectionism.
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Nail Biting & Hair Twirling: Signs of Perfectionism?
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Kieron O'Connor, PhD, works on the implementation and improvement of the effectiveness of psychological interventions for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum (OCD).
He collaborates with researchers and professionals to provide treatment of OCD, chronic motor tics, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, body dysmorphic disorder, as well as compulsive accumulation and eating disorders. He is Director of the Centre for the Study of The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tic Disorder Studies Centre.
Kieron O'Connor, PhD
Kieron O'Connor, PhD, works on the implementation and improvement of the effectiveness of psychological interventions for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum (OCD).He collaborates with researchers and professionals to provide treatment of OCD, chronic motor tics, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, body dysmorphic disorder, as well as compulsive accumulation and eating disorders. He is Director of the Centre for the Study of The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tic Disorder Studies Centre.