Do You Fidget?

About 15 percent of the general population have nervous mannerisms, says Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. Researchers note that some fidget by “hair-twirling, foot-tapping, leg-jiggling, fingernail-picking and the like.” Why do people fidget? Peggy Richter, a psychiatrist at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, believes that such ritualistic movements provide a feeling of comfort. On the other hand, clinical psychologist Paul Kelly says that fidgeting is due to tension and is an automatic, unconscious response that kicks in and takes you outside of a stressful situation. According to experts, “you can learn to interrupt and eventually stop the habit by replacement therapy—that is, concentrate on another object when you notice yourself fidgeting,” says the Globe