2007-09-03 04:58:13
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, so may be a kiss - or certainly to a woman
anyway, researchers say.
A New York State University team quizzed over 1,000 students, finding women
place a big emphasis on kissing.
They use kissing as a way of assessing the recipient as a potential partner,
and later to maintain intimacy and to check the status of a relationship.
But men placed less importance on it, using it to increase the likelihood of
sex, Evolutionary Psychology reported.
The questionnaires revealed men were less discriminating when it came to
deciding who to kiss or who to have sex with.
While both sexes participate in the adaptive benefits of kissing, we found sex
differences when considering the pursuit of short-versus long-term mating
strategies
Dr Gordon Gallup, lead researcher
They were more willing to have sex with someone without kissing, to have sex
with someone they are not attracted to and agree to have sex with someone they
considered to be a bad kisser.
But kissing was more important as a bonding mechanism to women.
In long-term relationships females not only rate kissing as more important than
men, but they indicated that kissing was important throughout a relationship.
Meanwhile, men placed less importance on kissing as the relationship
progresses.
There was also a difference in the sort of kisses the two sexes preferred, with
men liking wet, tongue kisses.
Lead researcher Dr Gordon Gallup said kissing had developed over time to become
an essential part of the courtship process.
But he added: "While both sexes participate in the adaptive benefits of
kissing, we found sex differences when considering the pursuit of short-versus
long-term mating strategies."