Why We Kiss : The Science of Sex

By: Brie Cadman

Pecking, smooching, Frenching, and playing tonsil-hockeythere are as many names for
kissing as there are ways to do it. Whether we use it as an informal greeting or an
intensely romantic gesture, kissing is one of those ingrained human behaviors that seems
to defy explanation. Its many purposesa blow and peck for good luck on dice, lips to
ground after a rocky boat ride, kisses in the air to an acquaintance, and the long slow
smooches of Hollywoodhave different meanings yet are similar in nature. So why is it
that we love to pucker up?
A Kiss Isnt Just a Kiss
Philematologists, the scientists who study kissing, arent exactly sure why humans started
locking lips in the first place. The most likely theory is that it stems from primate mothers
passing along chewed food to their toothless babies. The lip-to-lip contact may have been
passed on through evolution, not only as a necessary means of survival, but also as a
general way to promote social bonding and as an expression of love.
But somethings obviously happened to kissing since the time of the chewed-food pass.
Now, its believed that kissing helps transfer critical information, rather than just meat
bits. The kissing we associate with romantic courtship may help us to choose a good
mate, send chemical signals, and foster long-term relationships. All of this is important in
evolutions ultimate goalsuccessful procreation.
Kissing allows us to get close enough to a mate to assess essential characteristics about
them, none of which were consciously processing. Part of this information exchange is
most likely facilitated by pheromones, chemical signals that are passed between animals
to help send messages. We know that animals use pheromones to alert their peers of
things like mating, food sources, and danger, and researchers hypothesize that
pheromones can play a role in human behavior as well. Although the vomeronasal organs,
which are responsible for pheromone detection and brain function in animals, are thought
to be vestigial and inactive in humans, research indicates we do communicate with
chemicals.
The first study to indicate that chemical signals play a role in attraction was conducted by
Claud Wedekind over a decade ago. Women sniffed the worn t-shirts of men and
indicated which shirts smelled best to them. By comparing the DNA of the women and
the men, researchers found that women didnt just chose their favorite scent randomly.
They preferred the scent of man whose major histocompatibility complex (MHC)a
series of genes involved in our immune systemwas different from their own. Having a
different MHC means less immune overlap and a better chance of healthy, robust
offspring. Kissing may be a subtle way for women to assess the immune compatibility of
a mate, before she invests too much time and energy in him. Perhaps a bad first kiss
means more than first date jittersit could also mean a real lack of chemistry.

Men Sloppy, Women Choosy

Behavioral research supports this biological reasoning. In 2007, researchers at University
of Albany studied 1,041 college student and found significant differences in how males
and females perceived kissing. Although common in courtship, females put more
importance on kissing, and most would never have sex without kissing first. Men, on the
other hand, would have sex without kissing beforehand; they would also have sex with
someone who wasnt a good kisser. Since females across species are often the choosier
ones when it comes to mate selection, these differences in kissing behavior make sense.
Men are also more likely to initiate French kissing and researchers hypothesize that this is
because saliva contains testosterone, which can increase libido. Researchers also think
that men might be able to pick up on a womans level of estrogen, which is a predictor of
fertility.
Crazy for Canoodling
But kissing isnt all mating practicality; it also feels good. Thats because kissing
unleashes a host of feel-good chemicals, helping to reduce stress and increase social
bonding. Researcher Wendy Hill and colleagues at Lafayette College looked at how
oxytocin, which is involved in pair bonding and attachment, and cortisol, a stress
hormone, changed after people kissed. Using a small sample of college couples that were
in long-term relationships, they found cortisol levels decreased after kissing. The longer
the couples had been in a relationship, the farther their levels dropped. Cortisol levels
also decreased for the control groupcouples that just held handsindicating that social
attachment in general can decrease stress levels, not just kissing.
Looking at oxytocin levels, the researchers found that they increased only in the males,
whereas the researchers thought it would increase in both sexes. They hypothesized that it
could be that women need more than a kiss to stimulate attachment and bonding, or that
the sterile environment of the research lab wasnt conducive to creating a feeling of
attachment.
Kissing, therefore, plays a role not only in mate selection, but also in bonding. At an
Association for the Advancement of Science meeting on the science of kissing, Helen
Fischer, an evolutionary biologist, posits multiple reasons for lip locking. She believes
that kissing is involved in the three main types of attraction humans have: sex drive,
which is ruled by testosterone; romantic love, which is ruled by dopamine and other feelgood hormones; and attachment, which involves bonding chemicals like oxytocin.
Kissing, she postulates, evolved to help on all three fronts. Saliva, swapped during
romantic kisses, has testosterone in it; feel-good chemicals are distributed when we kiss
that help fuel romance; and kissing also helps unleash chemicals that promote bonding,
which provides for long term attachment, necessary for raising offspring.
Sniff, Snuggle, and Turn Right
Yet, not all cultures or mammals kiss. Some mammals have close contact with each
others faces via licking, grooming, and sniffing, which may transmit the necessary
information. And although chimps may pass food from mother to child, the notoriously
promiscuous bonobos are apparently the only primates that truly kiss. And while its

thought that 90 percent of the human population kisses, theres still the 10 percent that
doesnt. So it seems that as much as we use kissing to gather genetic and compatibility
information, our penchant for kissing also has to do with our cultural beliefs surrounding
it.
Whether we live in a place where kissing is reserved for close acquaintances, or
somewhere where a casual greeting means a one, two, or three cheeker, one thing does
remain highly consistent: the side to which people turn while kissing. Its almost always
to the right. A 2003 study published in Nature found that twice as many adults turn their
heads to the right rather than the left when kissing. This behavioral asymmetry is thought
to stem from the same preference for head turning during the final weeks of gestation and
during infancy.
One of the best things about kissing, however, is that we dont have to think about any of
this. Just close eyes, pucker up, and let nature takes its course.

De ce ne sarutam: Stiinta de Sex

By: Cadman Brie
Ciugulit, smooching, Frenching, amigdaliene i joc de hochei pe-acolo sunt multe nume pentru a
saruta ca exista modalitati de a face acest lucru. Fie le folosim ca un salut informale sau un gest
romantic intens, saruta este unul dintre acele comportamente nrdcinate uman, care pare s
sfideze explicaie. Sale multe scopuri-o lovitur i ciuguli pentru noroc la zaruri, buzele la sol,
dup o plimbare cu barca stancos, pupici n aer la o cunotin, i smooches lung lent al
Hollywood-au sensuri diferite nc sunt similare in natura. Deci, de ce se face c ne place de a se
ndoi sus?
Un srut nu este doar un sarut
Philematologists, oamenii de tiin care studiaz sarut, nu sunt exact sigur de ce oamenii au
nceput blocare buze, n primul rnd. Teorie, cel mai probabil este c ea provine de la mamele de
primate care trece de-a lungul mestecate alimente pentru copiii lor fr dini. A lua legatura cu
buza-la-buza s fi fost transmise prin evoluie, nu numai ca un mijloc necesar de supravieuire,
dar i ca un mod general de a promova lipirea sociale i ca o expresie a dragostei.
Dar ceva sa ntmplat n mod evident, saruta din vremea trece mestecate-alimentare. Acum, se
crede c ajut saruta transferul de informaii critice, mai degrab dect doar bii carne. Saruta
care le asociem cu curte romantic ne pot ajuta pentru a alege un partener bun, trimite semnale
chimice, precum i promovarea relaiilor pe termen lung. Toate acest lucru este important n
evoluia lui procrearea Scopul final de succes.
Sarutul ne permite sa obtinem destul de aproape de un partener pentru a evalua caracteristicile
eseniale despre ei, dintre care niciunul nu suntem contient de prelucrare. O parte din acest
schimb de informaii este cel mai probabil facilitat de feromoni, semnale chimice care sunt
transmise de la animale pentru a ajuta la a trimite mesaje. tim c animalele utilizarea
feromonilor pentru a alerta colegii lor de lucruri precum mperechere, surse de alimentare, i
pericol, i cercettorilor emite ipoteza c feromonii pot juca un rol n comportamentul uman, de
asemenea. Dei organele vomeronasal, care sunt responsabile pentru detectarea feromoni i
funcia creierului la animale, sunt considerate a fi vestigial i inactive din punct de om, de
cercetare indic facem comunica cu substane chimice.

Primul studiu care s indice c semnale chimice joac un rol important n atragerea a fost realizat
de Claud Wedekind de peste un deceniu n urm. Femeile prizate purtat tricouri de brbai i a
precizat care tricouri mirosea cel mai bine pentru ei. Prin compararea ADN-ul a femeilor i
brbailor, cercetatorii au descoperit ca femeile nu au ales doar parfumul lor preferate n mod
aleatoriu. Ei au preferat mirosul de om a crui majore complexe histocompatibility (CHDOM)-o
serie de gene implicate n sistemul nostru imunitar a fost diferite de ale lor. Avnd un alt CHDOM
mijloace mai puin imunitar se suprapun i o ans mai bun de pui sntoi, robuste. Sarutul
poate fi un mod subtil pentru femei pentru a evalua compatibilitatea imunitar al unui partener,
nainte ca ea investeste prea mult timp si energie in el. Poate un srut ru prima nseamn mai
mult dect prima data de draci-ar putea nsemna, de asemenea, o lipsa reala de chimie.
Brbai Femei noroios, dificil
Behavioral de cercetare sprijin acest raionament biologice. n 2007, cercetatorii de la
Universitatea din Albany studiat 1041 student i am constatat diferene semnificative n modul n
care brbai i femei perceput saruta. Dei comune n curte, femele pune o mai mare importan
pe srutat, iar majoritatea nu ar fi sex fara sarut primul. Barbatii, pe de alt parte, ar avea sex fara
sarut n prealabil, ei ar fi, de asemenea, sex cu cineva care saruta eram bun. Deoarece femeile
din ntreaga specii sunt adesea cele choosier atunci cnd vine vorba de selecie mate, aceste
diferene n saruta comportament sens.
Barbatii sunt, de asemenea, mult mai probabil s iniieze sarutul frantuzesc si cercetatori ipoteza
c acest lucru se datoreaz faptului c saliva contine testosteron, care pot crete libidoul.
Cercetatorii, de asemenea, cred c oamenii ar putea s ridic la nivelul unei femei de estrogen,
care este un predictor al fertilitii.
Crazy for Canoodling
Dar sarutul nu este practic toate mperechere, ea se simte bine. Aceasta, deoarece saruta
declanseaza o serie de produse chimice-simt bine, ajutnd la reducerea stresului i creterea
lipire sociale. Cercetator Wendy Hill si colegii sai de la Lafayette College uitat la modul n care
oxitocina, care este implicat n lipirea pereche, precum i montarea, i cortisol, un hormon de
stres, sa schimbat dup oameni srutat. Folosind un mic eantion de cupluri colegiu care au fost
n relaii pe termen lung, au gsit nivelurilor de cortizol a sczut dup saruta. Mai cupluri au fost
intr-o relatie, mai departe nivelurile sczut. nivelurilor de cortizol a sczut, de asemenea, pentru
grupul de control-cupluri care tocmai a avut loc mini indic faptul c ataamentul sociale n
general, pot reduce nivelul de stres, nu doar saruta.
Privind la nivelul oxitocinei, cercetatorii au descoperit ca acestea au crescut numai n brbai, n
timp ce cercettorii au crezut c ar crete la ambele sexe. Ei au emis ipoteza c ar putea fi faptul
c femeile au nevoie de mai mult de un sarut pentru a stimula ataament i de unire, sau c
mediul de steril de la laboratorul de cercetare nu a fost propice pentru a crea un sentiment de
ataament.
Sarut, prin urmare, joac un rol nu numai n alegerea mate, dar i n unire. La o Asociaia pentru
Progresul Stiintei reuniunii din tiina de a sruta, Helen Fischer, un biolog, postuleaz mai multe
motive pentru blocarea buzelor. Ea crede ca sarutul este implicat n trei tipuri principale de
oameni au atractie: apetitului sexual, care este condus de testosteron; dragoste romantica, care
este guvernat de dopamin si a altor hormoni feel-good i ataament, care implic substane
chimice de unire ca oxitocina. Kissing, ea postuleaz, a evoluat pentru a ajuta pe toate cele trei
fronturi. Saliv, schimbat n timpul srutri romantice, a testosteronului n ea; chimice feel-good
sunt distribuite cand ne sarutam c romantismul de combustibil ajuta; i srutnd ajut, de
asemenea elibera substante chimice care promoveaz bonding, care prevede pentru ataarea pe
termen lung, necesare pentru creterea puilor.
Mirosi, se ghemui, i dreapta
Cu toate acestea, nu toate culturile srut sau mamifere. Unele mamifere au un contact strns cu
feele unii altora prin lingere, grooming, i miros, care poate transmite informaiile necesare. i,
dei cimpanzeii poate trece alimentare de la mam la copil, Bonobos notoriu promiscuitate sunt
aparent primatele numai c srut adevrat. i n timp ce acesta a crezut c 90 la sut din

populaia uman pupici, mai exist nc 10 procente care nu. Deci, se pare c la fel de mult ca
vom folosi saruta pentru a colecta informaii genetice i compatibilitate, predispoziia noastr
pentru saruta, de asemenea, are de a face cu credinele noastre culturale ce l nconjoar.
Fie c trim ntr-un loc n care saruta este rezervat pentru cunotine apropiate, sau undeva n
cazul n care un casual salut nseamn una, dou, sau trei cheeker, un singur lucru nu rmn
foarte consecvent: partea de la care oamenii se ntorc n timp ce saruta. Este aproape
ntotdeauna la dreapta. Un studiu publicat n Nature 2003 a constatat c de dou ori mai muli
aduli rndul su, capul la dreapta, mai degrab dect din stnga atunci cnd saruta. Aceast
asimetrie de comportament este gandit pentru a rezulta din aceeai preferina de cap de cotitur
n ultimele sptmni de gestaie i n timpul copilriei.
Unul dintre cele mai bune lucruri despre sarut, totui, este c nu avem s se gndeasc la nimic
din toate astea. Doar nchide ochii, se ndoi sus, i s ia natura cursului su.