2nd Graders Had It Right: Kissing Is Gross, Science Proves
A new study published in Microbiome journal says that 80 million bacteria can be transferred in a 10-second kiss.
Ew.
Researchers at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research studied a pool of 21 couples, who kiss frequently, and compared the bacteria swapped on their tongue and saliva. The study specifically zoned in on “intimate’’ kissing behavior, which includes French-ing, or as the scientific cool kids describe it, “courtship behavior unique to humans… common in over 90% of known cultures.’’
In their experiment, one member of each couple was baited with a probiotic drink, so specific strains of bacteria could be traced and measured following a smooch. After assessing the spit-swatched swabs, they found that couples who reported at least nine “intimate’’ moments per day had “significantly shared salivary microbiota,’’ estimating that bacteria transfer in the range of 80 million within 10 seconds.
To soften the blow on kissing—which may have just skyrocketed to my “ick’’ list between ambiguously stained seats on the T and eating from an open box of Munchkins during flu season at the office—the researchers reference other studies that state kissing and swapping spit (to be crass, and literal) are biological defenses that assist us in choosing an appropriate mate for like, you know, life. They write:
“Kissing may contribute in mate assessment and bonding via sampling of chemical taste cues in the saliva [2], including those resulting from the metabolic activity of the bacterial community on the surface of the tongue.’’
So, keep on kissing—for humanity.
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