Researchers analyze science of kissing
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He studied 124 couples between the ages of 13 and 70 kissing in airports, on beaches, in parks and in railway stations in the United States, Germany and Turkey. "I tried to be as discreet as possible," Gunturkun said. He claims to have watched from afar as couples kissed.
Birds, humans and many other vertebrate embryos show a definite preference to turn their heads to the right rather than left during the latter parts of gestation. In birds, this is because it provides the embryo with a greater amount of light and stimulation. The reason why humans turn their heads to the right is not known.
"We humans are right-footed, right-handed, right-eared and right-eyed. I want to know why," said Gunturkun. He theorizes that if a fetus turns its head to the left in the womb, it will turn to the left when the time comes to start perfecting kissing technique.
While newborns show a preference for turning their heads to the right, that disappears by the time the baby is three to six months old. Years later, the preference for right-handedness re-emerges, and many scientists believe that is often merely a product of environment, such as the prevalence things like tools engineered for right-handers.
Gunturkun's results are published in the Valentine's Day edition of the British Journal Nature, and say that kissing-side preference is unrelated to handedness. According to Gunturkun, there is much more to study in the field of right- and left- hand differences. Asymmetry may provide us with clues about humans' abilities to plan, decide and understand the world around them.
"Couples kiss much more rarely than I expected," Gunturkun said. "In Chicago O'Hare Airport, I once waited five hours for two data points."
He also says that his research became such a habit that he now must consciously avoid scrutinizing lip-locked couples. "As soon as I see one, I start grabbing my bag to look for my data sheet, but I will recover," he said.