Diet: The Five-Second Rule.

Researchers have found that the time food spends on the floor and type of flooring affects how many germs are transferred to the food we drop. They found that carpet was least likely to transfer germs, while solid surfaces increased the risk of germ transfer after five or more seconds. Furthermore, they surveyed individuals’ willingness to eat dropped food. Dr. Anthony Hilton, a professor of microbiology at Aston University in England, says, “Our study showed, surprisingly, that a large majority of people are happy to consume dropped food, with women the most likely to do so, but they are also more likely to follow the 5-second rule, which our research has shown to be much more than an old wives’ tale.”
Aston University, March 2014