一身恶习肯定不利于身心健康和个人发展，但有点小毛病也未必是坏事儿。比如，研究证明，爱迟到的人往往比较乐观，习惯做最好的打算；桌面凌乱的人可能更有目标；偶尔走神可以提高工作效率等等。

拥有下面这些小毛病不仅无伤大雅，而且可能还对你有好处。

1. Procrastinating
拖延症

There's a growing body of literature dedicated to why people procrastinate - and how to stop it.
关于拖延症成因以及治疗方法的研究文献越来越多。

But Wharton professor Adam Grant argues that we should expand our conception of procrastination to include not just laziness, but also waiting for the right time. In other words, procrastination can help boost creativity because you give yourself a chance to develop your big idea.
但沃顿商学院教授亚当•格兰特认为，我们应该认识到，拖延症不仅仅是懒，也是在等待正确的时机。换句话说，拖延症有助于提升人们的创造力，因为你给了自己空间去想出好主意。

2. Biting your nails
啃指甲

Researchers followed about 1,000 kids starting when they were five years old. When the kids were five, seven, nine, and 11, the researchers asked their parents whether they bit their nails or sucked their thumb. About one-third of the kids displayed one or both habits.
研究人员们从5岁开始对约1000名儿童进行了追踪研究。当孩子们处于5岁、7岁、9岁和11岁时，研究人员询问这些孩子的父母，他们是否会咬指甲或嘬手指。约三分之一的儿童有至少其中一种习惯。

When the kids were 13 and then 32 years old, the researchers performed allergy tests. Sure enough, the group that had habitually bit their nails and/or sucked their thumb as kids were less likely to have developed allergies.
当这些孩子长到13岁和32岁时，研究人员对他们进行过敏测试。结果发现有咬指甲或（和）嘬手指习惯的孩子，更不容易过敏。

At the same time, one of the study authors advised parents not to encourage nail-biting or thumb-sucking in their kids.
与此同时，该论文作者建议父母们不要鼓励孩子们咬指甲或者嘬手指。

While nail-biting doesn't typically cause long-term damage, it can damage the skin around the nail, making you more susceptible to infections. Meanwhile, if thumb-sucking continues past when a kid's permanent teeth come in, it can change how the teeth line up.
虽然咬指甲不会造成长期损伤，但会破坏指甲周围的皮肤，让人更容易感染。此外，在换牙之前嘬手指会影响牙齿的排列。

3. Running late
迟到

Being chronically tardy can interfere with both your personal and professional relationships, making you look disorganized or worse, disrespectful.
总是迟到会影响你的个人和职场人际关系，给人留下散漫甚至是不尊重他人的印象。

不过迟到也许并不是你的本意，而是因为你对自己太过自信。据《纽约时报》援引心理学作家戴安娜•狄隆佐的话称：

"Many late people tend to be both optimistic and unrealistic and this affects their perception of time. They really believe they can go for a run, pick up their clothes at the dry cleaners, buy groceries and drop off the kids at school in an hour."
“很多爱迟到的人都比较乐观，且不切实际，这影响了他们的时间观念。他们真的认为，自己可以在一小时之内完成跑步、到干洗店取衣服、买日用品以及去送孩子到学校的工作。”

In other words, late people hope for and expect the best - which can be a double-edged sword in daily life.
换句话说，爱迟到的人总是做最好的打算，而这在日常生活中可能是把双刃剑。

4. Complaining
抱怨


No one wants to be that friend who goes on and on about his annoying coworker, the rain, and the lousy service at the restaurant where he just ate.
没有人想要不停向朋友抱怨自己的同事有多讨厌、雨下得有多恼人，或者自己用餐的饭店服务有多差。

Meanwhile, recent research cited in The Atlantic found that those who complain more mindfully - meaning they have a specific end result in mind - are happier than those who simply vent.
不过，《大西洋月刊》上一项新的研究发现，更加慎重抱怨的人（这种人的脑海中有一个明确的终极结果），比那些单纯宣泄的人更快乐。

If you need to complain, there's a way to express some negativity without turning off everyone around you or exacerbating the situation. According to psychologist Guy Winch, there's a "right" way to gripe.
如果你需要抱怨，有一种方法既可以抒发负面情绪，又不会让周围的人感到厌烦或让情况恶化。据心理专家盖伊•温奇称，抱怨也是有“正确”的方法的。

"An effective complaint is about an issue that can be remedied, and is addressed to someone who has the power to fix it."
“有效的抱怨会围绕一个可以补救的问题进行，而且抱怨的对象要是有能力处理这个问题的人。”

5. Chewing gum
嚼口香糖

It's rude to do it in a job interview, so don't. But when you're sitting alone, it could be a key to productivity and relaxation.
在面试时吃口香糖是一种无礼的行为，千万不要这样。不过如果你独自待着，嚼口香糖是一种提高效率、放松心情的好办法。

Multiple studies suggest that chewing gum helps you feel more alert - one study even found that people who chewed gum performed better on an intelligence test than people who didn't.
许多研究认为，嚼口香糖能让你的思维更敏捷，甚至还有研究发现，嚼口香糖的人在智力测试中的表现会比没有嚼口香糖的人更好。

Other research suggests that chewing gum boosts mood and reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
也有研究认为，嚼口香糖能够让人心情舒畅，降低压力荷尔蒙皮质醇水平。

6. Keeping a messy desk
桌面凌乱

If piles of papers are toppling over onto your coworker's desk, it might be time to tidy up.
如果你的一堆文件已经要倒向同事的办公桌上了，那么可能是时候整理一下。

But assuming you can keep your mess to yourself, there could be benefits to the disorganization. Recent research suggests that messiness prompts people to be more goal-oriented because we're motivated to seek order somewhere.
但如果你没有影响到别人，那么这种混乱可能对你有益。最近的研究表明，邋遢让人更有目标，因为这促使我们在别的方面追求秩序。

In other words, simply the sight of a sloppy workspace could make you more productive.
换句话说，表面上看起来乱糟糟的工作空间会让你效率更高。

7. Fidgeting
坐姿不安分


Again, when you're in a meeting with your boss, it's not the best idea to be squirming in your seat.
再说一次，如果你是去见老板，那这可不是一个好主意。

But tapping your leg or wiggling your fingers while you're seated at your desk could help you stay healthy. One study found that women who reported fidgeting more while at work had a lower mortality risk than women who said they fidgeted less.
但如果你是坐在办公桌前，手脚扭来扭去可能有助于保持健康。一项研究发现，自称工作时动来动去的女性比坐姿比较老实的女性死亡风险更低。

In fact, fidgeting seemed to make the association between long sitting times and mortality disappear.
事实上，坐姿不安分似乎使得久坐时间与死亡风险之间不再相关。

8. Gossiping
八卦


No, this is not an excuse to invite your best friend over to bash your other best friend's new haircut.
你不能以此为借口，让一位好朋友去吐槽另一位好朋友的新发型。

Research suggests that gossiping in order to help someone else can make you feel better.
研究发现，以帮助他人为目的的八卦可以让你感觉更好。

9. Daydreaming
白日做梦


In 2010, researchers published some attention-getting findings suggesting that mind-wandering can make you unhappy.
2010年，研究人员公开了一些引人注目的发现，他们认为心不在焉会让人不开心。

But spending a few minutes deliberately letting yourself zone out can also make you more productive and creative.
但有意让自己走神几分钟也能提升你的效率和创造力。

For example, one study cited in The Harvard Business Review found that allowing your mind to wander for about 12 minutes while you're working on a difficult task can help you find a solution when you return to it.
例如，《哈佛商业评论》上刊登的一项研究发现，当你在解决难题时，让自己走神12分钟左右后再回神，有助于找到答案。

10. Using filler words
用无意义的词


Um, so it sounds totally unprofessional to, uh, use filler words in every sentence, right?
呃，每句话中都加上语气词，会让你看起来很不专业，对吧？

But a recent Quartz article highlights research that suggests words such as "um" and "uh" help listeners understand and remember what you're saying.
但Quartz上最近发布的一篇文章强调，研究发现，“嗯”、“啊”之类的词有助于听众理解和记住你的话。