Throughout the passage of time a simple kiss has sparked the fireworks that have created empires and conquered vast armies. As I get older I worry a lot less about the anatomy of kissing. I just don't think too much any more about how to kiss. Possibly 20 years of marriage has dimmed the need. Although I'm sure that when I first met my wife, some existing jock intellect in my subconscious made me review some basic principals of how to kiss that I picked up in a gymnasium or locker room. As I embraced my wife under a full moon, I'm certain I didn't want the kiss to be to sloppy. I didn't want to make my prospective wife feel that I was a St. Bernard lapping up a bowl of milk. For kiss to be successful and to make sure she kept coming back for more I also didn't want to ram my tongue down her throat either. How to kiss her in such a way as to lay the foundation for further intimacy and sex was the goal. Apparently it worked. 20 years later my wife and I still find the time to get hot and heavy so to speak. In fact it just dawned on me that apparently I still consider how to kiss to be a pretty important part of our lives.
It wasn't until my daughter took basic anatomy in elementary school that I learned we actually have a "kissing muscle". Better known as the "orbicularic oris muscle" this is used to pucker the lips. How difficult and unappealing the simple kiss would be if I thought about that each time I got close to my wife for kiss. Likewise, my know-it-all daughter learned (although how she learned this in biology is beyond me) that there is actually a law of balance and counter-balance in effect each time we zero in on a smooch.
According to her, in order to avoid clashing heads and noses, a couple will often turn their faces to one side or another when kissing, so that their heads are at an angle from one another. Often, to make this more comfortable, one person, sitting upright, will support another, perhaps across their lap and in their arms, thus combining hugging and kissing. An added benefit. The person supporting the other is most likely taking the more active role in kissing the other. And would you believe that noted psychologist Oner Gunturkun observed couples kissing in public places such as parking lots, airports and parks, and discovered that the direction of turning is more frequently to the right than the left by a 2:1 ratio. Gunturkun ascribed this asymmetry as the "neonatal right side preference". And here I thought that how to kiss was only a prelude to getting my wife in a position that owed more to her lying down than standing up. The things kids learn in school today! For kiss to be successful then, one needs to be light on their feet and apparently not prone to dizzy spells.
The anatomy of a kiss certainly makes me wonder. But I think I'll dispel the rules of how to kiss and just concentrate on who it is I'm kissing. It's probably safe to say that thinking too much about how to kiss will dim the fires of intimacy and sex. Just think of your feeling to the person you are kissing. That will surely make your kiss worthy and desired.