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The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us Hardcover – Bargain Price, January 5, 2011

by Sheril Kirshenbaum (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 107 ratings
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From a noted science journalist comes a wonderfully witty and fascinating exploration of how and why we kiss.

When did humans begin to kiss? Why is kissing integral to some cultures and alien to others? Do good kissers make the best lovers? And is that expensive lip-plumping gloss worth it? Sheril Kirshenbaum, a biologist and science journalist, tackles these questions and more in THE SCIENCE OF KISSING. It's everything you always wanted to know about kissing but either haven't asked, couldn't find out, or didn't realize you should understand. The book is informed by the latest studies and theories, but Kirshenbaum's engaging voice gives the information a light touch. Topics range from the kind of kissing men like to do (as distinct from women) to what animals can teach us about the kiss to whether or not the true art of kissing was lost sometime in the Dark Ages. Drawing upon classical history, evolutionary biology, psychology, popular culture, and more, Kirshenbaum's winning book will appeal to romantics and armchair scientists alike.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    January 5, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1 x 8.8 inches
  6. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the vein of Stephen Pinker's The Language Instinct, scientist Kirshenbaum examines one of humanity's fondest pastimes. Divided into three parts, the book covers the evolutionary and cultural history of the kiss, the chemistry of kissing, and the future of kissing. In part one, "The Hunt for Kissing's Origins," Kirshenbaum examines the role kissing played in the Middle Ages--a businesslike kiss was employed as a legal way to seal contracts and business agreements. Many men did not know how to read and write, so their signature X was kissed to make it legal. Part two, "Kissing in the Brain," will appeal to anyone who has ever been curious about the chemical properties of butterflies in the stomach. Kirshenbaum writes just as gracefully about prostitutes in pop culture as she does the myriad of complicated biological and chemical processes that science uses to explain osculation. Part three, "Great Expectations," covers Kirshenbaum's personal attempt to further investigate the kiss and leaves a long list of fascinating questions that demand further research. (Jan.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

What’s the big deal? You pucker up, and there you are—right? Turns out there’s a lot more to kissing than you might think. For instance, you never forget your first kiss isn’t just a sappy sentiment; it’s apparently quite literally true, and the fact that we remember more details about that first kiss than about our first sexual experience speaks volumes about the nature of memory. Men and women kiss differently; that’s also true, but you might be surprised to learn why. Why is kissing important to some human societies, and unimportant—just plain foreign—to others? University of Texas research scientist and Discover magazine blogger Kirshenbaum draws on psychology, biology, history, and other disciplines in this highly engaging, highly informative book. --David Pitt

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005ZO4Y8K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (January 5, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 107 ratings

About the author

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Sheril Kirshenbaum

Sheril Kirshenbaum

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Sheril Kirshenbaum is executive director of ScienceDebate, a nonprofit nonpartisan initiative to restore science to its rightful place in politics. She works to enhance public understanding of science and improve communication between scientists, policymakers and the public.

Sheril co-authored Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future with Chris Mooney, chosen by Library Journal as one of the Best Sci-Tech Books of 2009 and named by President Obama's science advisor John Holdren as a top recommended read. She is also the author of The Science of Kissing, which explores the science behind one of humanity's fondest pastimes.

Sheril's writing appears in publications such as Bloomberg and CNN frequently covering topics that bridge science and society from climate change to parenthood. Her work has also been published in scientific journals including Science and Nature and she is featured in the anthology The Best American Science Writing 2010.

Sheril has been a 2015 Presidential Leadership Scholar; a Marshall Memorial Fellow, a legislative NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellow in the U.S. Senate and a Next Generation Fellow through the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law. She speaks internationally about science communication and has appeared as a thought leader at events like TEDGlobal and Ciudad de las Ideas.

Sheril currently hosts "Our Table" at Michigan State University, an initiative to help consumers make more informed choices about food. She also serves as director of the University of Texas at Austin Energy Poll. Previously, she worked with the Webber Energy Group at the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy and Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Sheril has also been a visiting scholar with The Pimm Group, a fellow with the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History and a Howard Hughes Research Fellow. She holds graduate degrees in marine biology and policy and lives in East Lansing, Michigan with her husband and sons.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
107 global ratings
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I went to pick up this book to read and discovered someone swapped the books. Very disappointed.
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Top reviews from the United States

Vanessa R. Woods
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on kissing ever!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2011
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It's one of the strangest things we do as humans - swap bacteria laden saliva, which could be a vector for all sorts of nasty diseases, all the in the name of romance.

Where did kissing come from? What's in a kiss? And why should we kiss at all?

All these questions and more are answered in Sheril Kirshenbaum's new book - The Science of Kissing. It's surprising that since kissing is almost a universal practise, that there hasn't been a book on the science of kissing before. It just goes to show that the new millenium still has something to offer.

I've known Sheril since 2008, and much of The Science of Kissing was written while we were hanging out in coffee shops. I remember Sheril popping up over her laptop offering all sorts of interesting tidbits.

My favorite is of British explorer William Read, who fell in love with a beautiful African princess. After months of courtship, he leaned towards her for a first kiss, and the poor girl ran away crying, thinking he meant to eat her.

There's no better time than Valentine's Day to reflect on the curious custom of kissing. As to who makes the best kisser, Kirshenbaum states that there are all sorts of subliminal cues that make kissing not so much a competition of skill, but a chance for two people to come close enough to figure out if they are a good genetic match. She does however have a valuable piece of advice for the gentlemen - not so much tongue, please.

The Science of Kissing is a beautifully crafted book, answering many of the questions you have about kissing, and many you haven't thought of, but are none the less fascinating.

(from [...])
5 people found this helpful
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Eric S.
4.0 out of 5 stars how to pick up a starbucks barista: 101
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2015
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Ladies love when you tell them you read a book With this title. It is even better when you have it on the book shelf and your lady sees it and begins talking about kissing.

I suggest carrying this book loosely in public areas. Starbucks is a great example! Order a coffee and have one of the hot baristas hand it to you while you are reading the book. Make light conversation, send a wink as the conversation ends, and as you leave thank her for the coffee and give her your receipt with your number on it. You will get a text later from her or another one of the hot baristas and boom Goes the dynamite.

if you decide to read the book you will find it enjoyable and learn theories why we kiss, how it started and different ways kisses are done all over the world. The subtle information you receive from kissing someone is actually interesting and you will never kiss someone the same again.
5 people found this helpful
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Texas_reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, Funny, Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2011
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I pre-ordered this book and was very excited when the release date was moved up. I had expected to enjoy it (I've read other works - long and short- by Kirshenbaum and liked them), but did not expect her newest release to be so engaging (I dont personally study this type of stuff, so wasn't sure if it would keep my attention). I'm happy to say that it was GREAT! Overall - I definitely give it 5 stars. The book kept my attention and interest from cover to cover. I learned a lot - and enjoyed the process.

When I sat down to read it after Christmas, I had thought to thumb through 20 or 30 pages, but found myself anxiously turning beyond 50.... 100.... 200... until I was done. Couldn't wait to see what the next page would hold. As I read, I laughed (quoting "The Princess Bride" at the onset is a good way to do that), learned (did you know that humans generally remember their first trip to 1st base better than their first trip to home?), and cringed (eating apples from armpits - trust me. Ick!). The book even touched on "Twilight"-inspired "kissing" behaviors from a scientist's point of view (interesting).

The book was a fun cruise through the history and present status of kissing in different cultures, groups and species - in the context of scientific studies on what kissing does to us, and why me continue to do it.

Great for those of us who like to learn about new topics, from a scientist/historian's point-of-view - but also want a work that is engaging, and not dry. Definite 5 stars!
32 people found this helpful
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William J. Trinkle
3.0 out of 5 stars Glad I Bought & Read, But a Bit Disappointing.
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2017
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An easy read and certainly raised interesting questions, addressing what scientific data there is, but ultimately I was a bit disappointed. I must note that this may have more to do with the state of our understanding of the subject, than the author. Still I am glad I bought it and glad I read it so what more can one ask.
4 people found this helpful
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Lisa Myers
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2012
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The Science of Kissing is a great book. It brings together lots of information from around the world, including small tribes and people who live on small, far away islands. Some of the information seemed very obvious, like women are less likely to go from kissing right to sex, but men don't even need to kiss to move to sex. The two stories that I liked the most were the one abut someone who was living with a tribe (I forget where, maybe in Africa) was attracted to the king/chiefs daughter, so he tried to kiss her one day in his tent and she ran from him because she thought he was trying to eat her since their culture doesn't have kissing at all, and then on a small island they don't kiss like what we think is a normal kiss, instead they bite off each other's eyelashes to spark arousal and at time of climax. It also discussed what the real Eskimo kiss is and much much more.

The book is a quick read because of how interesting it is. It is written very well and can be easily read by any adult.
6 people found this helpful
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Philip Spriet
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2011
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Encouraged by a positive review in New Scientist, I preoredered the book. The book did not live up to its promisses. The first part - trying to give some historic background - is boring and did not manage to keep me reading. Up to the second section, which promissed to have a look at the science of kissing. I got a lot of unfunded anecdotes, some attempts of theory, many 'it could be this, it could be that', but not a lot of science or a scientific approach. That way, the book very fast started to get the flavour of a glossy magazine article for long plane trips, but never comes close to what its title promises: the science of kissing.
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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GM2
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2014
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OK yes there are a few peculiar non scientific statements...but really a very good read altogether. I think everyone should read this book....
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Sam
5.0 out of 5 stars Informativ und gut geschrieben
Reviewed in Germany on April 17, 2012
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Populärwissenschaftliches Schreiben at its best, sozusagen. The Science of Kissing ist ein sehr informatives Buch über ein definitiv interessantes Thema, welches, wie die Autorin auch feststellen musste, bislang irgendwie gar nicht sonderlich stark erforscht wurde. Während ich einige der erwähnten Studien und Forschungsergebnisse bereits aus anderen Zusammenhängen heraus kannte, gibt es hier dennoch viel Neues zu lernen und zu entdecken.
Dazu kommt noch ein imho eingängiger Schreibstil, der nicht zu schulbuchartig oder pubklikationsartig trocken, aber auch nicht zu geschwätzig ist, und man hat ein sehr unterhaltsames, informatives und in gewisser Weise auch bildendes Werk vor sich, dessen Wissen einem sicherlich in der ein oder anderen Situation im echten Leben zu Gute kommen kann :).
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margaret egan
3.0 out of 5 stars it didn't really tell you anything different from what we ...
Reviewed in Australia on April 24, 2015
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it didn't really tell you anything different from what we know from everyday life
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Peer Sylvester
4.0 out of 5 stars Interessanter Rundumschlag
Reviewed in Germany on August 5, 2020
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Die Autorin schreibt bereits in ihrem Vorwort, dass sie Probleme hatte, viel über das Thema zu finden, denn komischerweise sind Studien zum Thema "Küssen" recht rar. Dennoch ist es ihr gelungen einen Überblick zu geben: Von der Frage wie und warum Küssen entstanden ist, bzw. sich in unserer (!) Kultur durchgesetzt hat bis hin zur Frage, was beim Küssen mit unserem Körper passiert oder (im schlechten) passieren kann. Dabei sind gesicherte Erkenntnisse aber doch etwas rar und so ist das Buch bisweilen etwas dünn. Insbesondere fehlen die "genialen Fragen" die Spitzenbücher ausmachen (wie sie etwa Mary Roach m.E. schreibt).
Aber dennoch, ist das Buch für ein paar interessante Aha!-Effekte gut und das Thema ist allemal interessant und auch gut aufbereitet.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2016
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Good book.
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