The science and art of snogging.
Think of the person you love to (or would love to) kiss. Now imagine leaning in and brushing your lips against theirs. You leaned right … right?
If you’re right-handed, you probably did. A study by The Conversation found that most of us lean right when we kiss — in line with the fact that about 87% of the world is right-handed.
But that’s not all there is to it. Studies have also found that cultures that read languages from left to right (for example English or French) generally have a right-leaning kissing bias, but those that read right to left (such as Hebrew and Arabic) are more likely to lean to the left.
And it gets even more complicated. There’s also the fact that the recipient of the kiss will almost always mirror the laterality of the initiator of the kiss, regardless of their own head-turning bias. So, in truth, the real reason we lean one way or another isn’t quite clear.
But why do we kiss at all?
While philematologists — aka kissing scientists — haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact evolutionary origins, they’ve developed some solid theories. One camp posits that kissing is a learned rather than instinctual behavior, stemming from our early human ancestors when mothers may have chewed food for their babies before passing it to their mouths (kind of gross, we know).
Those who say it’s more instinctual reason that many species rub noses as a sign of affection, not to mention that our lips and tongues are full of nerve endings that, well, just make kissing pretty damn enjoyable (and an essential part of foreplay).
Kissing also gives us clues to compatibility — and we’re not just talking about whether someone is good at it. Our saliva contains hormones and other compounds that can help our brains chemically assess the suitability of a potential mate. And for those already in a relationship, it helps strengthen the intimacy of a bond over time.
So, basically, we’re all for more kissing.
Originally published at https://getmaude.com.
