Kissing helps us choose the right breeding partner, claims scientist
The 17th-century satirist Jonathan Swift once wondered "what fool it was that first invented kissing". Now scientists believe they have an answer.They have turned to evolution and believe smooching serves as a quick way of screening potential partners by marking out those who are the best prospects for a long-term relationship.Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago that humans evolved three main systems in the brain for mating and reproducing. Sex drive motivated us to try a range of partners, romantic love focused our thoughts on one person at a time, and feelings of attachment encouraged us to stay in a relationship long enough to raise a child.Fisher said the act of kissing appeared to stimulate these brain circuits in a unique way. "Hooking up may have evolved as a fast-acting biological strategy for mate...
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