Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss

Researchers are revealing hidden complexities behind the simple act of kissing, which relays powerful messages to your brain, body and partner.

Chip Walter in Scientific American:

  • A7f90da0bf7c639f1f6882048a4228c7_1A kiss triggers a cascade of neural messages and chemicals that transmit tactile sensations, sexual excitement, feelings of closeness, motivation and even euphoria.
  • Kisses can convey important information about the status and future of a relationship. At the extreme, a bad first kiss can abruptly curtail a couple’s future.
  • Kissing may have evolved from primate mothers’ practice of chewing food for their young and then feeding them mouth-to-mouth. Some scientists theorize that kissing is crucial to the evolutionary process of mate selection.
  • More here.