kissing
gregladen | August 24, 2015The authors of a new paper note that "one of the principal ways in which we interact using our faces is kissing." This reminds me of an old National Lampoon joke on how the French were famous for inventing sex acts with the face. But I digress.
This paper looks at neural imaging responses of subjects who observe, in photographs, various kinds of kissing. The two main variables are who is kissing (by gender) and the nature of the kiss.
One of the authors is my friend and colleague, Sheril Kirshenbaum. She wrote the book on kissing. No, seriously, she wrote this book, which I've reviewed…
gregladen | February 5, 2013Valentine’s Day is coming up, so it is time to think about kissing. Pursuant to this, Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of “The Science of Kissing,” has made the Kindle version of her excellent book available at a discounted price through February 18th. The book is here: The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us. (Sheril is also the co-author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future.)
The Science of Kissing
Further details as well as a video (don’t worry, it’s work safe) are here, on Sheril’s site.
Also pursuant to Valentine’s Day, I thought it…
carlyo | February 10, 2012
By Larry Bock
Founder and organizer, USA Science & Engineering Festival
It's both funny and remarkable how some of the most simple and natural acts we do each day are teeming in science.
Take for example, the kiss.
A kiss, especially a passionate one, sets off a cascade of emotions and chemical reactions in our brain and body that would surprise most of us if we knew the whole story.
Well, just in time for Valentine's Day, Sheril Kirshenbaum, science writer and author of the recent book, The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us, sheds light on exactly what goes on…
jstemwedel | February 12, 2010On account of Valentine's Day being right around the corner, and inspired by Sheril's almost-through-the-edits book on the science of kissing, I thought I'd ask the Free-Ride offspring (now 8.5 and 10.5 years old) whether they had any questions about kissing that they thought science might be able to answer.
Their initial reaction:
Both offspring in unison: EEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!
Dr. Free-Ride: Wow, I'm pretty sure that's not the reaction Sheril is anticipating for her book.
Younger offspring: Wait, does French kissing count as kissing?
Elder offspring: Yes.
Younger offspring: I wonder if tongue…
grrlscientist | July 9, 2009tags: Harry Potter, kiss, Harry Potter and the Magical Kiss, online poll, fun
Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) kissed by Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall)
World Premiere of Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince at the Empire Leicester Square cinema, London, England.
Image: WENN.com
Kiss kiss, kiss: it seems that everyone is thinking about kissy-face (snogging as the Brits say) -- and Harry Potter. In fact, after reading all those skanky tabloids, I've learned that Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) is an excellent kisser while Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) could use some further instruction in…
sheril | February 6, 2009
It's February once again, just a week away from that very special holiday in which we celebrate the one we love (or bemoan the greeting card industry). Last year, I composed a post called The Science of Kissing provoking all sorts of interesting discussions on and offline. Now that I'm about to participate in the upcoming AAAS symposium of the same title, let's talk osculation (the scientific term for kissing). Here's the original entry...
I expect most of us hope to experience the 'ever-elusive, out-of-the-ballpark-home-run, earth-shattering, perfect kiss,' but what exactly is it? How…