Science: Kissing

As Valentine's Day approaches, research has begun shedding light on that most basic of all human expressions of love -- the smooch -- which has received surprisingly little scientific scrutiny.

Join Washington Post staff writer Rob Stein, who will be online to discuss the science of kissing on Monday, Feb. 11 at Noon ET.

Read more about the new research in: The Differences in Gender -- Sealed With a Kiss (Post, Feb. 11).

A transcript follows.

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Rob Stein: Thanks for joining our discussion today about kissing. With Valentine's Day just a few days away, this is a subject that may be on a lot of people's minds. Science, surprisingly, hasn't spent a lot of time studying kissing. But some recent research has produced some provocative findings about smooching. I see we already have some questions. So let's get right to it.

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Washington, D.C.: Is there any research about same-sex couples and kissing? I'm a gay woman, and I swear that objectively, girls are just better kissers than boys. It's not entirely emotional, it's just technique. Same way, if I see two boys kissing at a gay club, I am horrified by the way they go at it. Yick!

This story seems to suggest that gender partially determines preferred kissing style, no?

Rob Stein: This study only involved heterosexual couples. It did find gender differences, with men being more likely than women to prefer wetter, open-mouth kissing. But that was only in the context of a kissing a woman.

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Omaha, Neb.:"the experiment took place in the decidedly unromantic setting of a college health center."

Could you explain the context of the study? Were random students just roped into the health center and "paired up"? Also, did the study examine kissing between established partners, or did it just ask the students for their opinion about the importance of kissing?

Rob Stein: That study involved 15 heterosexual couples at Layfayette College whose levels of cortisol and oxytocin were measured before and after they were asked to kiss.

The main study that was discussed in the story involved students at the University at Albany who completed a series of questionaires about their attitudes about kissing.

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Sterling, Va.: What was the age group in the study? I imagine males in the early twenties would identify sexual cues differently than men in their 30's and 40's.

Rob Stein: That's a good point. The research involved college students. So most of those interviewed were between the ages of 18 and 24. It could be that attitudes towards kissing change as people age. Researchers would have to do similar research on older people to know for sure.

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Ages: Ah, good, I'm glad to hear the age range this study was done on. Because I read it and thought, "Gack! If I kiss a guy, he thinks I'm going to sleep with him?" But I'm not kissing any boys in the 18-24 range.

Rob Stein: That said, researchers say the findings could hold for older men as well...

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Philadelphia.: How are levels of various chemicals within a body actually measured during kissing?

Rob Stein: To measure levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is associated with bonding, the researchers took blood samples before and after the subjects kissed. To measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they tested saliva samples before and after the kissing sessions.

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Rob Stein: Thanks very much for your interesting questions. Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day.

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