Health
The real reason for nail-biting and other ‘bad habits,’ according to psychologists
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Nail-biting, procrastination and avoidance are often framed as bad habits we can’t control, but a new psychology book argues that they’re more like survival strategies that may have once protected us.
In “Controlled Explosions in Mental Health,” clinical psychologist Dr. Charlie Heriot-Maitland examined why people stick with bad habits that seem to work against their own best interest.
Drawing on years of clinical research and therapeutic practice, the expert reveals how the brain prioritizes predictability and safety over comfort and happiness.
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“Our brain is a survival machine,” he told Fox News Digital. “It is programmed not to optimize our happiness and well-being, but to keep us alive.”
For much of human history, being caught off-guard could be fatal, research shows. “The brain prefers predictable pain over unpredictable threat,” Heriot-Maitland said. “It does not like surprises.”
Experts say the brain prioritizes predictability and safety over happiness, preferring controlled, familiar discomfort to unpredictable risk. (iStock)
When faced with uncertainty, the brain may opt for smaller, self-sabotaging behaviors rather than risking larger, unpredictable ones.
The book argues that “the brain uses these small harms as a protective dose to prevent further harms.” Procrastination, for example, may create stress and frustration, but it can also delay exposure to the higher-stakes fear of failure or judgment.
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“The central argument is that behaviors we label as ‘self‑sabotaging’ could actually be attempts by the brain to control discomfort,” Thea Gallagher, a psychologist and wellness programs director at NYU Langone Health, told Fox News Digital.
In modern life, threats are often more emotional than physical. Rejection, shame, anxiety and loss of control can activate the same survival systems as a physical threat, experts say.
What looks like self-sabotage is often a way to delay or soften exposure to feared outcomes such as failure, judgment or rejection, an expert said. (iStock)
“Our brains have evolved to favor perceiving threat, even when there isn’t one, in order to elicit a protective response in us,” Heriot-Maitland said.
Self-criticism, avoidance and actions like nail-biting can function as attempts to manage the “dangers.”
Potential limitations
Gallagher noted that the book leans on clinical insight rather than empirical research.
“That doesn’t make it wrong, but it means the claims are more interpretive than scientific,” she said, noting that more data is needed to determine what is happening on a “mechanistic level.”
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Gallagher also emphasized that external factors, such as ADHD, trauma, chronic stress or socioeconomic pressures, can shape these behaviors in ways that aren’t just about threat responses.
Long-term improvement comes from building safety, observing patterns with curiosity, and gradually tolerating uncertainty rather than fighting or appeasing the behavior, an expert advised. (iStock)
Rather than seeing patterns like procrastination as flaws, the book encourages people to understand their protective function. That said, people should seek professional support for destructive behaviors that could cause severe distress or self-harm.
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“I encourage my patients to think about short-term pain for long-term gain, because if you just respond to discomfort and distress in the moment, you might find yourself in longer-term patterns you don’t like or want,” Gallagher said.
“I don’t think it explains the motivations for all people, as everyone is different, but I think it can certainly apply to some.”
“Our brain is a survival machine.”
Heriot-Maitland noted that everyone has a choice in how they handle their own potentially harmful habits.
“We don’t want to fight these behaviors, but nor do we want to appease them and let them carry on controlling, dictating and sabotaging our lives,” he said.
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Gallagher shared the following practical tips for people who may notice these patterns.
No. 1: Shift from self‑judgment to self-compassion
Instead of asking yourself “Why am I like this?” try focusing on the function of the behavior, she advised. For example, does it serve to soothe, numb or distract from other fears or threats?
Understanding the protective function of “bad” behaviors can reduce shame and open the door to more effective change, without excusing harm. (iStock)
No. 2: Notice patterns without fighting them (initially)
“Observing the behavior with curiosity helps weaken the automatic threat response,” Gallagher said.
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No. 3: Build a sense of safety
This can mean relying on grounding techniques, supportive relationships, predictable routines and self‑soothing practices.
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No. 4: Practice small, low‑stakes exposure to feared situations
“If the brain fears uncertainty, gently introducing controlled uncertainty can help retrain it,” the expert recommended.
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Simple measurements taken during routine blood pressure checks could predict dementia risk years before symptoms appear.
That’s according to new research presented this week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Louisiana.
The findings draw on two studies led by researchers at Georgetown University, which suggest that monitoring how blood vessels age and stiffen over time can provide a window into future cognitive health.
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Data shows rates of dementia and aging-related cognitive decline are expected to increase as populations age, and half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure (hypertension).
Scientists believe that efforts to better address hypertension, a key contributor to heart disease and a risk factor for dementia, could affect both cardiac and brain health.
Data shows rates of dementia and aging-related cognitive decline are expected to increase as populations age. Meanwhile, half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. (iStock)
“Blood pressure management isn’t just about preventing heart attacks and strokes; it may also be one of the most actionable strategies for preserving cognitive health,” Dr. Newton Nyirenda, the study’s lead author and an epidemiologist at Georgetown University in Washington, said in a press release.
The research focused on two metrics, the pulse pressure-heart rate index and estimated pulse wave velocity. Both were calculated using data collected during standard doctor visits, such as heart rate, age and blood pressure.
“Blood pressure management isn’t just about preventing heart attacks and strokes; it may also be one of the most actionable strategies for preserving cognitive health.”
Researchers examined five years of data patterns for more than 8,500 people in the SPRINT trial, a large study of adults 50 years and older with hypertension. In the follow-up, 323 of the participants developed probable dementia.
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In one study, the team found the pulse pressure-heart rate index was a strong independent predictor of dementia risk in adults over 50. For participants under 65, every one-unit increase was associated with a 76% higher risk of developing dementia.
For participants under 65, an increase in the pulse pressure-heart rate index was associated with a 76% higher risk of developing dementia. (iStock)
The second study found that adults with consistently elevated or rapidly increasing pulse wave velocity were more likely to develop dementia than those with stable velocity, even after accounting for factors like smoking, gender and cardiovascular history.
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“Our findings suggest that vascular aging patterns may provide meaningful insight into future dementia risk,” said Nyirenda. “This reinforces the idea that managing vascular health earlier in life may influence long-term brain health.”
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The team emphasized that clinicians should tailor risk assessments and treatment strategies to the individual.
Further studies are needed to confirm these parameters and determine whether changing vascular aging trajectories reduces dementia risk. (iStock)
“You don’t want to wait until a patient starts manifesting cognitive decline before you act,” said senior study author Sula Mazimba, an associate professor at the University of Virginia.
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Researchers noted the study could not establish causation. Other limitations included the fact that participants already had hypertension and elevated cardiovascular risk, meaning the findings may not apply to people without those conditions.
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Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether improving blood vessel health over time could reduce dementia risk.
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A dangerous substance dubbed “gas station heroin” continues to alarm medical professionals, with more states making moves to restrict or ban tianeptine.
Fourteen states have officially classified the tricyclic antidepressant as a Schedule I controlled substance.
Connecticut is the latest state to crack down, officially banning the sale and use of the substance starting on Wednesday.
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Tianeptine, which can produce euphoria in higher doses, can be more potent than morphine and addictive opioids, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Some countries have taken steps to restrict how tianeptine is prescribed or dispensed, and have even revised the labels to warn people of its potential addictive qualities.
Tianeptine can be more potent than morphine and addictive opioids. (iStock)
Misuse of tianeptine can cause severe adverse health effects, including respiratory depression, severe sedation and death, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Some companies market the drug as an aid for pain, anxiety and depression, or as a means of improving mental alertness in a pill, powder, salt or liquid form.
The products are typically sold at convenience stores, gas stations, vape shops and online retailers, and go by names like Tianaa, ZaZa, Neptune’s Fix, Pegasus and TD Red.
Connecticut is the 15th state to classify tianeptine as a Schedule I controlled substance. (Markus Scholz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said in a press release that the schedule change is a necessary step to combat addiction.
“With false marketing that led consumers to believe these are safe products, and with candy-like flavor options, these substances posed a clear threat to those battling substance-use disorder and our youngest residents,” she added.
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The Nutmeg State also added Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), 7-hydroxymitragynine, Bromazolam, Flubromazolam, Nitazenes and Phenibut to the schedule classification.
Earlier this month, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary penned a letter sounding the alarm on what he called a “dangerous and growing health trend.”
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“I am very concerned,” Makary wrote. “I want the public to be especially aware of this dangerous product and the serious and continuing risk it poses to America’s youth.”
New York-based Robert Schwaner, M.D., vice chair of system clinical affairs at Stony Brook Emergency Medicine, told Fox News Digital that the FDA has never approved tianeptine as a dietary supplement.
“As with heroin and other opioids, significant mu-opioid receptor stimulation ultimately results in a loss of respiratory drive and subsequent cardiac arrest.” (Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office)
“The euphoria at low doses is primarily due to increased serotonergic activity from its serotonin reuptake effects. With increasing doses, the mu-opioid receptor stimulation may become lethal,” said Schwaner. “As with heroin and other opioids, significant mu-opioid receptor stimulation ultimately results in a loss of respiratory drive and subsequent cardiac arrest.”
Schwaner said he believes the substance requires national regulation due to its addictive qualities.
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“Acting at the same receptor as opioids, tianeptine has the potential for an individual to develop tolerance, subsequent dependence and withdrawal from its use,” he cautioned.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
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