Apparently, there’s a whole science to this kissing business. If men are from Mars and women from Venus, then maybe that makes a difference in how and why we kiss?

According to studies conducted by Gallup, men are more likely then women to initiate tongue contact. Some theorize that this is because men have small amounts of testosterone in their saliva. By French-kissing women, they can pass some on women, thereby raising her levels of testosterone and increasing her receptivity and libido.

This coincides with previous research conducted by Susan Hughes, a psychologist from Albright College, that indicated men have more of a tendency to be sloppier, wetter kissers (um, I can definitely see that) because they “perceive a greater wetness or salivary exchange during kissing as an index of the female’s sexual arousal/receptivity, similar to the act of sexual intercourse.”

And–though this may come as no surprise–Gallup found that men often kiss for more ulterior motives. As in, to get lucky.

Males tend to kiss as a means of gaining sexual favors, or as a means of affecting reconciliation. Females kiss more as a mate-assessment device.

Well, then. That certainly falls in line with what society will have us believe about those with an XY chromosome pattern.

What do you think about these findings? Do you think that men and women kiss differently (and for different reasons)?

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