A kiss could mean many things. It could be an expression of mutual affection, a desire to be closer, a way of gauging prospective romance, or an act of reconciliation. And in a latest book about kissing, The Science of Kissing author Sheril Kirshenbaum, tells us that kissing is also an evolutionary advantage.
How? When we kiss it triggers neural chemicals that make us feel sensations which the brain interprets, giving us information about the other person. Through our sense of touch, smell and taste, we learn about the other person.
As unaware as we may be about it, a scent of a man can provide clues about his DNA. In a report on Daily Mail, a research by Claus Wedekind, a Swiss biologist reveals that women are found "to be most attracted to the scents of men who carry a different genetic code for their immune system in a region of DNA known as the major histocompatibility complex or MHC."
Furthermore, scientists are considering the possibility of offspring benefiting from parents that carry different genes by having a strong immune system.
Kissing also has health benefits for partners. The millions of bacteria that partners transfer from kissing helps boost their immune systems making their body more shielded from diseases.
So if you think kissing is unsanitary, take heart because studies show that we are likely to get ill from a shake hand than from kissing.
Meanwhile, kissing is also used to test whether a person should go on further with a prospective partner.
In a study conducted by evolutionary psychologists at the State University of New York at Albany, both men and women have used kissing in determining not to pursue a potential romantic relationship with another person. According to the study, 66 percent of women and 59 percent of men say they have not pursued a budding relationship because a kiss did not go well.
Other perks of kissing includes fostering a sense of closeness and affection as well as desire and longing - factors that make us feel good and keep relationships healthy.
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