A study by Oxford University researchers suggests that kissing can tell us if we are compatible with a potential partner and, once in a relationship, may be a way of getting a partner to stick around. “Kissing in human sexual relationships is incredibly prevalent in various forms across just about every society and culture,” says Rafael Wlodarski, the DPhil student who carried out the research in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University. “Kissing is seen in our closest primate relatives, chimps and bonobos, but it is much less intense and less commonly used. So here’s a human courtship behaviour, which is incredibly widespread and common and, in extent, is quite unique. And we are still not exactly sure why it is so widespread or what purpose it serves.” To understand more, Rafael Wlodarski and Professor Robin Dunbar set up an online questionnaire in which over 900 adults answered questions about the importance of kissing in both short-term and long-term relationships.
Explains Rafael Wlodarski, “There are three main theories about the role that kissing plays in sexual relationships: That it somehow helps assess the genetic quality of potential mates; that it is used to increase arousal (to initiate sex) and that it is useful in keeping relationships together. We wanted to see which of these theories held up under closer scrutiny.” The survey responses showed that women rated kissing as generally more important in relationships than men. Furthermore, men and women who rated themselves as being attractive, or who tended to have more short-term relationships and casual encounters, also rated kissing as being more important. “Mate choice and courtship in humans is complex,” says Professor Robin Dunbar. “It involves a series of periods of assessments where people ask themselves ‘Shall I carry on deeper into this relationship?’ Initial attraction may include facial, body and social cues. Then assessments become more and more intimate as we go deeper into the courtship stages, and this is where kissing comes in.” It has been suggested previously that kissing may allow people to subconsciously assess a potential partner through taste or smell, picking up on biological cues for compatibility, genetic fitness or general health. The findings appear in two papers, one in the journal ‘Archives of Sexual Behavior’ and the second in the journal ‘Human Nature’, both published by Springer.