Learning a new word is fun

Today as I was commuting to work, I did my daily routine of reading the Metro, and I noticed one of the little blurbs at the top. I, being a renowned collector of useless knowledge, found it rather interesting. It was as follows:

"Even kissing has a scientific name: philematology, which has been defined as the art or science of kissing".

It allowed me to probe the internet for a few more interesting facts about this lovely phenomenon that we all enjoy (oh, come on, admit it!):

• Scientists believe that kissing is a learned action as opposed to an instinctive one. Some scientists have theorised that it was originally inspired by mothers passing food to their babies with their mouths, and subsequently affection became associated with touching lips.
• Kissing comes down to pheromones. Pheromones are an organisms' unique scent. They reveal the mood, health, disposition, and recent exploits of the particular individual. Thus, pheromones could be used as evaluation of compatibility as a mate. When we are close to another's face we get an olfactory cocktail that tells us a lot about each other; women find out if a man is a good candidate for a father, and men find out if a woman is fertile and strong and thus if she's a good candidate for a wife.
• Kissing feels good (duh!). The lips and tongue are packed with nerve endings and are incredibly sensitive to this sort of stimulation. In fact, the lips and the area around the mouth happen to have the highest concentration of sensory nerves endings of all the tactile senses. To seal the deal, the lips are also outfitted with a very thin layer of skin making them the most sensitive part of the body.
• Can you believe there are even motoneurons that are designed to let you work in the dark to maintain your relative position to this soft feeling of goodness?
• The warm and tingly feelings associated with pleasure of kissing are the outcome of a potent surge of dopamine, norepinephrine, and phenylethylamine in the brain. This "cocktail" of neurotransmitters, triggered by electrical signals from the lips, is received by the emotional portions of the brain.
• Studies have shown that kisses assist in the prevention of tooth decay, stress relief, weight loss, and can raise self confidence - but some of these effects might fall under the category of the Placebo Effect - I mean, we've all got faith in kissing.
• Kissing might help you tell if a person is in good health. Consider the act of kissing as a way of testing someone's spit - body fluids are a pretty intimate aspect of a person after all. In addition to bacteria, saliva contains immunoglobulin (a compound that binds to bacteria to signal disposal by the immune system). Stress and anxiety levels can also be measured in saliva by monitoring the breakdown of noradrenaline. In other words, a person can make a pretty educated guess about a potential mates' health just by swapping spit.
• Scientists have found that the size of a person's lips can make a big difference to how attractive other people find them. Basically, big lips are considered to be attractive, however it is possible for lips to be too big. Men consider a full pout on a woman to be a turn-on, however Mick Jagger-style lips may not necessarily be perfect on a man. Men's lips should be full yet virile-looking, according to the women surveyed. Thin or pursed lips on a woman were seen as signaling a lack of desire, while full, red lips were seen as a reflection of warmth and sensitivity.
• The Christmas tradition for lovers to kiss under the mistletoe is meant as both a sign of romantic love, and as a sign of good luck and future prosperity. The practice has its roots in acient Celtic mythology, when the Druids considered mistletoe to be magical and used it to make various magic concoctions. Tradition also held that if two enemies met under mistletoe they would have to lay down their arms and treat with each other. The kissing part comes from the Norse mythology. The goddess Freya's son was killed by a spear made from mistletoe, thereby bringing winter into the world. Freya declared that mistletoe become a sacred plant thenceforth, and that it be a token of love rather than death.
• Most people turn their heads to the right when kissing, according to German researchers who spied on 124 courting couples in the interests of science. It is believed that right-kissing may be a reflection of behaviour in the womb - unborn babies tend to lean to the right. Researchers observed kissing couples in airports, railway stations, parks and benches in the US, Germany, and Turkey. Only the first kiss, if more kisses followed, was counted. To qualify a kiss the act had to include lip contact, face-to -face positioning and an obvious head turning. They found that 80% of the kissing pairs turned their heads to the right, and 44 to the left - a ratio of about two to one in favour of right-kissing.

Now that you have some facts, think about what kissing means to you. I like this quote by Ingrid Bergman: "a kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." Maybe there is something more to kissing - being a girl we tend to add in the emotion. Sigh. But isn't it amazing how this (relatively) simple act ties in so much - biological, emotional and mental aspects are all covered. Maybe I should start somes philematological experiments. ;)

FYI, notes taken from:

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro04/web2/gkelly.html

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s498838.htm

http://www.kissingsite.com/kissingfacts.htm