The simple act of kissing is loaded, not only on the emotional front but physiologically as well. I didn't expect to find information about kissing in the usually unsexy Scientific American, but I learned some interesting things about kissing and just needed to share. Especially since Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

Here are some new things I learned about the ancient art of kissing:

• The uber romantic act of kissing may have evolved from the unappetizing practice of pre-chewing food for babies. Primate mothers chew food for their offspring and then feed them from their mouths.
• If kissing makes you feel thin-skinned, it could be because our lips have the thinnest layer of skin in the entire human body. Yet, lips are densely packed with sensory neurons that quickly send impulses to the brain.
• Kissing may reduce stress chemicals in the body. So you might want to experiment with literally kissing stress goodbye.
• Kissing couples tilt their heads to the right twice as often as they tilt to the left, and this tendency doesn't seem to be related to being right- or left-handed. Which way do you tilt?
• A Gallup survey revealed that out of 58 men, 59 percent of them lost romantic interest in their potential kissing partner after a "bad" first kiss. Women seem to be a little more discerning as 66 percent out of 122 women dropped a potential love interest after a first kiss didn't pass muster.

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