subject: Nose Picking In Cars-why Do These People Think They Are Invisible? [print this page] Why does the car nose picker feel invisible?
Nose picking is not considered all that socially acceptable in most Western Countries. However there is a certain percentage of the population who once they are comfortably seated in their car they start happily picking away as if they are sitting in an armoured truck and no-one can see them. Let's call them the Brigade of Apparently Invisible Nose Pickers.
We've all seen them in the morning or evening rush hour traffic, as they sit in apparent blissful ignorance with half of their hand stuck up their noses, looking as if it is their brain that they are hoping to pull down through their nostrils.
Can Rhinotillexomania Be The Cause?
What Is Rhinotillexomania When Its At Home? Rhinotillexomania is an unconscious habit where people constantly are picking at their nose usually without realising they're doing it. This condition knows no boundaries and can affect people of all ages and classes, those who drive cars and those who don't!
Even beautiful and famous people can be afflicted with rhinotillexomania. It is classified as an obsessive compulsive disorder, but then as I am typing this I find that I also have what can be considered an obsessive compulsive disorder - pulling at my hair, kind of twirling it, I find this somewhat comforting.
If you saw me sitting in traffic fiddling with my hair would you be offended or disgusted? Most people would not but when it comes to the brigade of apparently invisible nose pickers lots of people will admit to finding this disgusting.
Can it be that the brigade of apparently invisible nose pickers are committed multi taskers?
If So Can't They Do Something More Productive?
One answer on Yahoo Answers from a guy confirms that in his case he likes to multi task. Here's what he says:
"It is because your brain wants to multi task when driving. If I don't have a drink, snack or cell phone, I'll pick my nose. Oh it's the perfect time. It's addictive too. Now I can't stop. The girl was probably trying to lose weight and didn't have any food in her car. So she went nose exploring. I bet she got some green gold. I usually lick my finger afterwards. You know, to hide the evidence."
The other day I passed 4 vans in traffic and all of those guys had fingers up their noses. Now more than likely if they are driving a van they could be working, so let's give them the excuse that they are in "work mode" and they have the will to multi task, the only thing that's lacking is the task they have chosen.
The Different Styles Of Car Nose Pickers If You Can Call Them "Styles"... There are three main styles that I have noticed when stuck in traffic, the first style I don't think belongs as much to the Apparently Invisible Brigade. If you have noticed other styles please let me know.
Car Nose Picking Style 1: This is the surreptitious style. The chin rests gently on the palm of the hand, with the baby finger delicately working its way at the nostril crust.
Car Nose Picking Style 2: The umpire style. This is when one finger is up and at it, twisting away like a good thing.
Car Nose Picking Style 3: The fist style. Here the head is cleverly adjusted at a slight angle to optimise the nose picking experience. A whole fist is up one nostril.
The Risks Involved In Car Nose Picking:
Although you may just file this away as disgusting and that's it, there are risks involved in car nose picking. One other possible reason that these people feel that they are invisible is as the more time modern life dictates that we spend in our cars, the more like home a car can feel. So it's like a mental attitude that it is their private space that could overcome the physical reality of the glass windows fitted in most cars!
The risk factors can affect the nose pickers themselves as well as the lucky observers. Imagine if you are lucky enough to observe one of the Fist Style Car Nose Pickers, you could be so mesmerised that your foot may come off the brake and you crash into the car in front of you.
Or if you are the person sitting behind the nose picker, so you're not even lucky enough to have a view, you could drive into the nose picker when the traffic starts to move. The nose picker is just on the point of success, the traffic starts to move, he doesn't move but you do...oops! As well as this doctors don't encourage this habit as it can damage the inner lining of the nose as well as inserting lovely germs and bacteria.
Irrespective of the risks the brigade continues on happily, for whatever the reason is that they feel invisible.
