10 BAD HABITS that can be healthy

Discover which of your weaknesses could be your greatest strengths

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Are you a nail-biter? Prone to daydreaming? Or love a bit of gossip? We all have bad habits that can make us feel guilty. But, in reality, some of these actually work in your favour. 'Some bad habits are obviously not good for you, such as smoking, but others depend on your personal preferences and the context of the habit,' says hypnotherapist and occupational psychologist Jivan Dempsey. It's where and when you perform them that determines their impact on your physical or mental wellbeing. So, it's time to stop worrying and instead embrace the positives of these pesky habits...

1 Being messy

Chaos generates creativity. Disorder seems to inspire our imaginations, according to one study*, where 48 individuals were assigned to a messy or tidy room and then asked to think up uses for ping-pong balls. They came up with the same number of ideas but those in the messy room were 28% more creative with their concepts.

2 Fidgeting

You were probably told off for not sitting still as a child, but foot-tappers and thumb twiddlers are getting a workout. Yes, fidgeting is NEAT - that's non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This is any calorie-burning activity that's not eating, sleeping or exercise. Experts reveal those who fidget burn up to 350 calories a day!

3 Swearing