(FORTUNE Magazine) – MADISON -- Researchers at the University of Wisconsin plan to send 1,000 Dane County residents a questionnaire . . . inquiring about their nose-picking habits. While the practice is ''assumed to be quite common, little is actually known about it, or, more importantly, whether for some individuals it is more than just a harmless habit,'' said Dr. James Jefferson, a university psychiatrist who specializes in compulsive behaviors. ''For example, is it time consuming? . . . Does it interfere with day-to-day functioning?'' he said . . . Jefferson said he suspects nose picking may cause some people ''significant distress.'' Learning more about their habits should be beneficial in creating treatments for those whose lives are disturbed by the practice, he said. -- From an AP dispatch.