According to one study snot, while gross, is actually full of healthy bacteria that helps protect your teeth.
There are still risks associated with picking your nose – sinusitis, for example, and nosebleeds.
But Katharina Ribbeck, an assistant professor in the department of biological engineering at MIT, told ozy.com that snot could also help prevent infection.
Indeed, there’s some evidence that the mucus in snot could fight off respiratory infections and stomach ulcers.
And Austrian respiratory specialist Prof Friedrich Bischinger added that people who pick their noses are healthier, happier, and likely in better tune with their bodies.
‘Eating the dry remains of what you pull out [of your nose] is a great way of strengthening the body’s immune system,’ he said.
‘Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do.
‘In terms of the immune system, the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.’
So next time your kid or partner starts veering towards their face for a dig around their nostrils, maybe just let them get on with it.
Culled from Metro