Why Do We Kiss?

Kissing is a nearly universal human activity, appearing in more than 90% of all cultures. But why do we kiss?

Research carried out by Psychologists at Pennsylvania's Albright College show that there are three main reasons for kissing and that men and women kiss for quite different reasons.

1. Kissing allows us to evaluate potential mates
When we kiss we are doing more than evaluating how good a kisser our partner is. The physical closeness of the kiss allows us to sample the smell and taste of our partner on a subconscious level. Kissing also allow us to exchange small amounts of saliva which contain hormones and even genetic information that provides further information to our subconscious partner-selection process. It has been shown that women are substantially more attracted to men with key genetic differences to their own. Evolutionary biologists believe that this reaction is an adaptation designed to provide children with the most diverse DNA possible. Overall, it may be that the satisfaction that we get from a good kiss may be our subconscious giving us the green light on the suitability of our kissing mate.

The study found that women are more concerned with the taste and smell of their partners than men, rating fresh breath more important than facial attractiveness.

2. Kissing makes us feel closer to our partners
The researchers found that men and women thought about kissing of long term partners quite differently. The women in the study tended to judge the quality and frequency of kissing with their partner as a test of their relationship. The women studied felt affirmed by kissing and wanted to engage in more kissing before, during and after sex especially in order to feel more bonded to their partners. In contrast the men in the study tended to view kissing less as a way of bonding and feeling close to their partners and more as a way of initiating sex, they valued kissing as a method of feeling close to their partner less highly.

3. Kissing as a way of initiating sex
As a precursor to sex men and women view kissing very differently. The study showed that men expected that passionate kissing would lead to sex about 50% of the time while the women studied felt that passionate kissing would lead to sex only about 33% of the time. This is consistent with women's views of kissing as a bonding activity. But women did consider kissing very closely tied with sex, with only 14% of women stating that they would have sex with someone that they had not kissed while over 50% of men said they would have sex with someone they had not kissed.

Other studies on kissing suggest that kissing serves to transfer hormones such as testosterone between partners and that kissing may serve to stimulate a sexual response in the less aroused partner.

What kissing research means to you
Overall this research on kissing shows that men and women have quite different expectations about and reasons for kissing. While both sexes use kissing in the early stages of a relationship to judge their compatibility, in long term relationships women and men have different reasons for kissing. For the women studied kissing was primarily a way to judge the health of their relationship and its role as a precursor to sex was secondary. For men the reasons to kiss were reversed, men wanted to kiss in order to initiate sex and viewed kissing as a way of bonding as of secondary importance.

For men the message is clear: Engage in more kissing without expectation that it will lead to sex. This will have the effect that your partner will feel more bonded to you and therefore will be more likely to engage in sex. Be aware that women are more finely tuned to taste and smell than men so floss, brush your teeth and avoid foods that your partner hates the smell of.

Kissing is an activity that naturally brings us together but women and men's attitudes to kissing can sometimes be a cause of misunderstandings and actually become a barrier to better relationships. Understanding our partners reasons for kissing can help us to overcome those misunderstandings and get back to a happier relationship.

How a Woman Checks You Out

Let me begin this article by giving you the results of a past survey I have done on a college campus. Throughout the course of a week, I interviewed numerous girls and asked them what usually causes them to "notice" a guy initially, as well as what parts of the body they look at first when they check the guy out. Here are the things that seem to catch a girl's interest the most.

1) The style of the guy - Style of dress and the way he moves. Does he have good posture and "stand out" from the crowd, or does he hide behind his friends?

2) Whatever "gadget" he has with him. Is he carrying a briefcase (Is he mature)? Or wearing a backpack (Is he adventurous)? Or maybe he's carrying a cell phone?

(Definitely not a loner.)

And when a guy catches their attention, they begin to check out his

3) Face

-The hair - Is it messy or is it "cool"?
-Pimples - Are there just a few? Or does his face look like a volcano?
-Eyes - Do they look smart and confident?
-Glasses? If so, ARE THEY CLEAN? And do they fit the guy's face?
-Is the face dirty?
-Is the face "cute"?

As soon as they are done "checking out" the face, the next part they check out is *SURPRISE, SURPRISE* not the abs or biceps, but:

4) The shoes.

-Are they clean?
-Do they fit?

And only when they've finished examining the above do they turn their gazes to

The shoulders, the chest and the butt

Do you see a pattern in all of this?

I do.

Women look at the opposite of what men look at when men check women out. While men go right for the obvious women parts, women go for the "accessories" such as the hair and glasses.

And this is good for us, as these are things we can actually control.

Love Relationship Advice - Finding Good Love Relationship Advice

So here you are, cruising the internet for love relationship advice. You can surely find a lot of advice out there these days. But how do you know which advice to take? There are a lot of 'relationship experts' around. Who can you trust? Used to be, when you had a problem, you just asked your parents, or maybe a trusted aunt or uncle. Or you might have called a reliable friend to help you figure out what to do. Technology has opened up a whole new world for us and we have so many choices out there, that it can make your head spin.

Is your relationship already ended? Maybe your partner decided to call it quits and you think there's still something there worth saving. What can you do about it? You could mope around and feel sorry for yourself, but what will that accomplish? Or you could start taking some positive steps towards figuring out what went wrong and what you can do to fix it. Here's a couple tidbits of love relationship advice that can get you started on the right track:

• Speak the truth and speak it straight from your heart. You could just tell your ex what you know they want to hear, but where will that get you in long run? Honesty is always best and honest words spoken from the heart are pure gold. So when you speak to your ex about trying to work out the relationship, be completely honest with yourself and with them. If they need things you know you can't give, it might be better for both of you to move on.
• Walk a mile in their shoes. Look at the relationship and its problems from their point of view. If you felt the way they do, would you still want to fix the relationship? Which of the issues are you most directly responsible for causing or contributing to? If you can figure out solutions to the problem(s) then you have a place to begin open and honest communication between the two of you.

Here's one last bit of advice for you. Once the two of you are talking about getting the relationship back together, both of you need to be very clear on what you are agreeing to do or to quit doing. You must be absolutely positive that you will be able to honor your end of the agreement before making promises. Making promises and then not keeping them is the quickest way to kill your relationship, so don't do it.

Which Pheromones Work? - A Revealing Study of the Top Pheromones

By the time you are done reading this, you will have a much better understanding of which pheromones really work. Whether your looking for more sex, more dates, or just more attention, pheromones have gathered lots of media attention regarding their seductive powers.

As a product review specialist, I decided to perform an empirical test on the top 10 pheromones to determine which ones really work and which ones clearly do not.

Let me reveal some of the pheromones I tested. Each pheromone was worn on a separate occasion so as not to taint my results.

Pheromone #1. Liquid Trust - is a pheromone spray that claims to create a trusting and passionate atmosphere by using the active ingredient Oxytocin. It has become popular with salespeople who want people top trust and buy from them, singles, who want to meet new people, and managers and employees who want confidence.

Pheromone #2. Alpha-7 Scented - is claimed to be a high-quality pheromone that features a blend of high-quality essential oils known for their attractive effects. Unlike Primal Instinct (another popular pheromone), Alpha-7 Scented packs 40% more pheromones and a more complex formula. Who uses it? Anyone that wants to project the aura of a confident man to attract women.

Pheromone #3. Scent Of Eros - was created by James V. Kohl, a well-known pheromone researcher. Scent of Eros cologne for men is premixed with a great musk fragrance and ready to use in its easy to carry roll-top bottle. People often use it to break the ice and create a friendly atmosphere. I chose to test this one because of its low price and claims that it gives off the "nice guy" image.

This makes it helpful for people who may have difficulties in being non-threatening and intimidating around others ex. - the "macho" or "tough guy" images.

Do They Really Work?

Yes, the pheromones above had a noticeable effect on woman. I noticed the following: more eye contact, a desire to hang out and socialize, and increased body contact (in a flirting manner). However, each pheromone created a different experience and resulting outcome.

By now, you probably want to know which one is the best.

When an Online Picture Depicts a Thousand Words

Have you ever heard of the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words."? That is also applicable towards photos - especially when you are dealing with the vast majority of dating websites.

Photos are one of the most important aspects of an online dating website. Traditional profiles are still popular, although there are new types of profiles everyday. Even if you don't think that your photo is your "best and unique selling proposition", you need to make the best of what you are.

Have you ever come across a profile on an online dating website where it shows a blank? There will be several thoughts that go through your mind when you encounter a profile like this. Sometimes, people may think that this person must be way too ugly. Some other time, people may think this person lacks too much self-esteem to even put his picture there.

Regardless of what, it seems that people will only conjure up negative impressions when they see a blank instead of your picture. Therefore, use a digital camera to take a picture of yourself. You have better chances at editing the picture.

If you think I am trying to tell you that you should edit your picture so you look like Brad Pitt, I am so sorry to tell you that you are incorrect. What I am trying to tell you is that you can edit by changing the contrast of the picture. Changing the contrast of your picture allows people to visualize you better - in their minds.

Furthermore, you can crop your picture to your best advantage. It's a worthy investment to use good software to help you edit your images to the best. A example I can think of Paint Shop Pro. There is a trial version available so you can see if it is useful for you.