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Busted! 10 Disgusting Habits We All Do in Secret

These strangely satisfying habits may be socially unacceptable, but that doesn't stop them from being widely practiced.

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Smell worn underwear

Have you ever given your undergarments a good whiff to see if they can be used again? Nearly 31 percent of women and 44.3 percent of men can relate, reports a recent survey from Online Doctor of over 1,500 Europeans and Americans. Although you may assume it’s unanimous that undies are a one-and-done item, the survey showed that a significant chunk of people are willing to re-wear underwear if it smells up to par. Word of advice: You’re better off putting on a clean pair. Here are more underwear mistakes that can mess with your health.

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Go to bed without washing up

Coming back from a long day, the last thing we want to do is wash our face. So it comes as no surprise that 40.1 percent of women and 58.9 percent of men admit to going to bed without washing their face. However, if you are a regular makeup wearer, it may be worth taking the extra minutes to do so–old foundation and dead skin cells can clog your pores for a terrible breakout come morning.

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Enjoy the odor of your own farts

Passing gas is an entirely normal function of our glorious human bodies—and apparently, so is enjoying the odor of our own. In fact, 94.1 percent of women and 92.7 percent of men admit to getting a strange satisfaction out of smelling their own toots. This odd disposition can actually be explained by science. According to AsapSCIENCE, people may prefer the smell of their own farts because it’s embedded in their biological hard wiring. Just like a fingerprint, everyone has their own special gas scent. Our flatulence contains a genetic signature that is unique to each of us, and the bacterial scent will associate with familiarity. On the other hand, your brain detects the farts of others as something that is trying to harm your body, so it forms an evolutionary defense mechanism due to the terrible odor. Who knew? Here are 11 other facts about farts we’re betting will surprise you.

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Sniff fingers after touching genitals

Unless you’re a wildly flexible acrobat, there’s just no way to determine the state of your nether regions without touching them. Guess that’s why 54.2 percent of American men admitted to smelling their fingers after touching their testicles and 54.8 percent of American women have admitted to smelling after touching their vaginas to determine cleanliness. This isn’t completely unwarranted considering smell can indicate a lot about the health of your genitals; in fact, it’s the number one symptom for genital infections. Find out the 13 secrets your vagina wishes you knew.

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Pick a particularly irritating booger

Sometimes that pesky bugger just won’t come out, no matter how many times you blow into a tissue. According to the study, 97 percent of women and 95.3 percent of men will reach directly inside to dig for gold. Now here’s where it gets real crazy—30.1 percent of women and 33.8 percent of men also admit to having eaten it after. Surprisingly, scientific research from both Harvard and MIT (published in the journal of the American Society for Microbiology) have revealed that eating boogies may be good for one’s health. Due to their “rich reservoir of good bacteria,” it has the potential to help the immune system fight back against respiratory infections, stomach ulcers, and HIV. (We’re holding out for more proof on that one.) Find out how doctors avoid getting colds and flu.

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Pee in the shower

There are two types of people in the world: people that pee in the shower and people that pee in the shower and lie about it. Everyone has done this at least once; it’s a long way from the bathtub to the toilet after all, and nobody likes venturing onto the bathroom floor sopping wet just to urinate (we’re not monsters). Per the survey, 93.6 percent of women and 91.3 percent of men admit to taking a whiz inside the shower. If we’re being completely honest here, it’s all going the same place anyway.

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Peel away dead skin

If you’ve ever taken pleasure in picking dead skin off a scab or dry patch, know that plenty of other folks have found themselves in a similar spot. It’s sort of like peeling dried glue from your hands, but way more satisfying. After all, there’s nothing like sitting on the couch with your feet propped up, catching up on some late-night HBO, and oh yes, casually peeling stubborn flakes of yellowing dead skin from your body. This strange habit ranked in as one of the most common of them all—96.3 percent of women and 93.3 percent of men have admitted to picking dead skin. However, you must resist touching these eight body parts.

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Smell dirty armpits

To deodorize or not to deodorize—that is the question. Nearly 96 percent of women and 93.9 percent of men will sniff their armpits directly to find out, according to the survey. It’s always nice to give our pits a test run to see what our fellow neighbors and coworkers will be smelling.

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Playing with pubic hair

We all have it, but none of us like thinking about it or discussing it. While most of us will cringe at even hearing the term “pubic hair,” apparently it comes pretty natural to toy around with it. Thirty-six percent of women and 45.4 percent of men say they will casually stick their hands down yonder—in a totally nonsexual manner. But that’s not all pubic hair is great for; doctors advise against shaving completely down there if you want your genitals to be protected against friction, wounds, and infections.

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Pick your pimples

There’s just something so satisfying about popping that juicy pimple or extracting a pesky blackhead. According to the numbers, a whopping 93.6 percent of women and 91.3 percent of men reported picking pimples. While the desire is understandable, dermatologists have warned that if we get overzealous, there’s a high risk of causing cuts, infections, and scars. It’s always a good idea to just sit on your hands to prevent that. But if you can’t resist picking, follow this dermatologist-approved way to pop a pimple.

Hana Hong
Hana Hong is a journalist/storyteller who writes for Reader's Digest, InStyle, CollegeFashionista, Her Campus, and The Fashion Network, among other publications. She hails from the midwest, where she graduated from the University of Illinois with a BA in News-Editorial Journalism, but has a passion for the East Coast.