For those puzzled by the disappearance of forks in any shared staffroom, a study by researchers at a large Brisbane hospital may offer some insights — along with a Christmas miracle. 

However, their results, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, reveal teaspoons and not forks have the highest rate of utensil dispersal, in findings at odds with the authors’ hypothesis.

“Teaspoon migration appears to be a more substantial problem than fork disappearance,” reveals the multipronged study of cutlery in a staffroom at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. 

Researchers led by Associate Professor Mark Mattiussi of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital tackled the topic in light of their personal experience of utensil disappearance in staff tearooms.