Exploring when it’s not just a kiss
Psychologists say that 66 percent of women will end a budding
relationship if the first kiss goes awry, while only 59 percent of men
place the same emphasis.
So what, exactly, is in a kiss?
This is the subject of Sheril Kirshenbaum’s new book, “The Science
of Kissing.” In it, the native New Yorker explores everything that goes
on between our lips — from the hormones to the history.
“Kissing is a powerful experience,” said Kirshenbaum. “It engages
all the senses: Scent, taste and touch are all sending information to
our bodies as to whether it’s a good match or not. It’s nature’s
ultimate litmus test.”
Sara Forbes, curator of the Museum of Sex in Manhattan, told Metro: “A kiss is something deep.
It’s the beginning of the sexual self.”
New Yorkers, however, don’t quite understand the impact of a kiss.
“People are in a hurry in every aspect of their life,” said
psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert. “Based on my practice, romance and
intimacy is often lost; the art of foreplay is skipped over. Kissing, in
many ways, is more intimate than sex.”
By the numbers
14% of women would have sex with someone they had not kissed
36% of men will kiss a prostitute’s body
66% of people tilt their head to the right when kissing
