Changyang posted in her blog, My Little Moments:

Ahh, finger-licking pageturners.

I am not sure whether I am the only person who finds it disgusting, but most people are highly tolerant of people who lick their finger(s) before leafing through a stack of paper or their books.

Some will lick, then turn three pages, then lick again.

Some will lick, then realize that it's not wet enough, then lick again, and turn one page.

Some lick the tip of the fingers; some lick almost the whole length of their fingers.

Click here to read more of her post:

Dr. Marian Sonnenfeld writes in the Boston Globe:

THE FLU is rampant once again. A potential disease-spreading behavior that has flown under the radar for far too long is the habit of licking one's fingers to gain traction before picking up papers or opening plastic bags. Sales clerks frequently do this. While it makes the immediate task easier, this practice raises public health concerns since it directly transfers saliva containing bacteria and viruses to materials that are then handed to others. The practice is ubiquitous, even occurring in doctors' offices.

I expect this act is so unconscious that many people are completely unaware of it. It is unhealthy for everyone, including its practitioners, since every time they bring fingers to lips they are bringing whatever germs they've picked up from the surfaces they've touched.

Inexpensive fingertip moisteners can be purchased at office supply stores, and employers should provide these or similar devices at registers and other locations where workers may be handling papers or currency.

Click here to read more of her article here.

veryscary posted this on Flickr:

I saw this sign at Broadview Station on my way home. The ticket taker guy asked me why I was taking this photo. I said it was funny. He did not see the humour in it and then ranted on about how he has to deal with handling people's "germ" infested money. He did not see the humor in this sign and he was not pleased that I wanted to take a snap of it. I intentionally left his face out of it to protect him (and myself) from humiliation.

Click to view his post here:

Geneva H. posted her opinion in the Medical News Today:

Frustrated while fumbling to open a plastic bag in the produce section, I asked a grocery clerk what the secret was. She advised me: "Lick your fingers!"

I looked around me and, sure enough, this is exactly what the other people were doing: licking their fingers, pawing over the fruits and veggies, and then licking their fingers again to open the next bag. Undoubtedly, some of those people also failed to wash those fruits and veggies after they got them home.

Here's a link to her post:

golbguru of Money, Matter, and More Musings posted:

OK, what is it with people who lick their fingers before turning pages in a book?

It’s a question of somebody’s saliva getting on my brand new $147 book. I watched this dude for a while with his hand going to his mouth a few times and landing near the lower right hand corner of those pristine white pages. And then I had to ask him to stop.

He can fill his own books with blobs of his saliva, or even spit in them if he wants to and I won’t mind, but come on… I just bought this one by paying through my nose, so please… it does not need any DNA decoration yet.

Here's the link to the post:

Hanna posted the question:

My co-worker does this all the time and I always tell her its gross and unsanitary...she says she tries to stop but its hard.

I don't know what else to say to make her stop!

I don't like to touch stuff after her and I have to!

Here's the link to her post.

Asmita P. wrote:

I have always found the old lick-n-flick routine an extremely disgusting practice with people who handle cash a lot. Luckily a developer from Seattle has designed a fingertip grip that not only improves hand dexterity by leaps but also rids you of...

Here's the link. Thanks Asmita.

Mark P. picks our cause and writes:

One of the disgusting things I often see people do is lick their fingers to flip a page, say in a magazine or newspaper. I know it’s a “typical” thing to do, but I mean, come on! I don’t want to touch a book that’s been slobbered on.

Here is the link to Mark's post. Thanks Mark!

From Erika W.'s post in Germfreak:

I am astounded by the number of retail workers that lick their fingers to either separate out their money or open bags. In Wal-Mart, my cashier, who definitely needed dental work, decided to lick her fingers in order to distribute the change to the man in front of me. She not only did this once, but then again as she handed him the money as she counted it out. She then wetted her fingers several more times during my transaction to “open” the bags and stuff the merchandise within.

Am I the only one who thinks this is repulsive? Germs are spread by picking up a virus on your hands and then touching your face, particularly the eyes, nose, or mouth. Can you fathom the amount of viruses being passed from person to person because of this intolerable habit?...

Link to the post

From José's A Moment's Worth of Musing post:

Dear Colleague,

Please stop licking your fingers as you separate pages that are destined to arrive on my desks or in my hands. My OCD days are long gone and I can overlook the whole cooties thing, but your finger licking friction-inducing page-separating technique, though effective, emits a foul odor.

Link to José's post