The Science of Kissing
18 December - 16 mins
Podcast Series
Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill
For his Christmas podcast, Professor Luke dives into one of the oldest, strangest and most delightful human behaviours: kissing. And yes, there really are scientists who study it. Kissologists? Why not. Someone has to keep the flame of enquiry burning under the mistletoe.
Kissing isn’t new. In fact, our primate ancestors may have been at it 21 million years ago. Humans, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans all kiss, and the trail of evolution suggests the ancient snog goes back to a shared forebear long before Christmas was invented.
So why do we do it? Luke’s answer brings joy to his immunologist’s heart: kissing is fundamentally about the immune system. It’s bonding, soothing, socially...
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