INSIGHTS
- Back on July 16, 1439, King Henry VI found the need to ban kissing as a strategy to fight the further spread of the plague.
- A normal kiss is capable of burning 6.4 calories per minute, while a passionate kiss may burn up to 20 calories per minute.
- Germany is among the countries that kiss the least at four times per day on average per person, while both France and Italy kiss the most at over seven times per day on average per person.
OVERVIEW
After extensive research, we were able to determine that there are no pre-compiled lists of numerically-based facts about kissing within all public domains. However, we were able to collate information from numerous sources such as the Guinness Book of World Records. All facts
we enumerated below revolve around world records for the longest kisses in different categories, historical evidence such as the first written description of a kiss and its origin, demographic data about kissing, the chemical composition of a kiss, the muscle anatomy involved in a kiss, and country-to-country statistical data comparisons.
we enumerated below revolve around world records for the longest kisses in different categories, historical evidence such as the first written description of a kiss and its origin, demographic data about kissing, the chemical composition of a kiss, the muscle anatomy involved in a kiss, and country-to-country statistical data comparisons.
1. LONGEST KISS IN THE WORLD — FEBRUARY 12-14, 2013
Due to the scarcity of information about numerically-based facts about kissing, we extended the scope of our research to include sources published beyond 24 months ago. Through this, we found a 2015 article by the Guinness Book of World Records about the longest kiss in the world. According to the article, Ekkachai Tiranarat and Laksana Tiranarat from Thailand holds this record for a kiss that lasted a total of 58 hours, 38 minutes, and 58 seconds on February 12-14, 2013.
Despite this being published in 2015, exhaustive research has provided no evidence that the record has since been beaten.
2. LONGEST UNDERWATER KISS (APNEA) — MARCH 18, 2010
Another article by the Guiness Book of World Records published in 2018 features the longest underwater kiss in the world by apnea. Apnea is the term used to describe the process of holding one's breath underwater. According to the article, the record belongs to Michele Fucarino and Elisa Lazzarini in Italy who kissed underwater for a total of 3 minutes and 24 seconds on March 18, 2010.
3. LONGEST KISSING RELAY — 13 APRIL 2018
The Guiness Book of World Records also published an article for the world's longest kissing chain. According to the article, the record belongs to Ayuntamiento de Teruel in Spain for coordinating a kissing relay chain which consisted of 1,015 participants.
4. LONGEST UNDERWATER KISS (MOUTH TO MOUTH BREATHING) — MARCH 18, 2012
Similar to the aforementioned world record for the longest underwater kiss by apnea, Nikolay Linder from Germany is the current holder of the record for the longest underwater kiss by mouth-to-mouth breathing on March 18, 2012. The record currently stands at 20 minutes and 11 seconds.
5. THE ORIGIN OF THE "FRENCH KISS"
Fact Retriever is a database of facts that have been carefully evaluated and verified by a group of "philomaths" and scholars. They published a 2016 article about 48 kissing fun facts. After studying their entire list, we have chosen three facts that fit the criteria of this research.
One example of such facts include the origin of the term "French Kiss". According to Fact Retriever, the term was coined back in 1923. It was initially used as a slang to describe the French culture, which back then was thought to be extremely sexual. The French Kiss is more popularly known within France as a tongue kiss or soul kiss. Further research revealed that there have been findings which indicate that several ancient civilizations believe souls mingle through a mouth-to-mouth kiss.
6. THE FIRST WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF A KISS
Another kissing fun fact within the database of Fact Retriever revolves around the oldest written description of the idea of kissing. Findings indicate that this was found within the Four Verdict Sanskrit Texts dated 1500 B.C.
7. KING HENRY VI BANS KISSING
The third fact from Fact Retrievers revolves around King Henry VI banning the action of kissing back in July 16, 1439. The article states that this was done to prevent the further spread of the plague.
8. CORRELATION OF AGE AND FIRST KISSES
Founded in 2002, Canada-based Happy Worker found success in making people happy as a toy manufacturer. They recently published a compilation of facts about kissing.
According to Happy Worker, data shows that 70 percent of teens aged 16-24 had had their first kiss by the age of 15. However, data shows that this remains true only for 46 percent of their parents. This indicates that the age people get the chance to experience their first kiss is dropping.
9. THE NUMBER OF MEN WOMEN KISS BEFORE MARRIAGE
The compilation by Happy Worker also includes a fact which states that women kiss an average of 79 men prior to getting married.
10. CALORIES BURNED PER KISS
Deutsche Well is a globally-recognized Germany-based broadcaster. They also recently published an article about a number of facts about kissing.
According to the article, an average person burns around 6.4 calories per minute for a normal kiss and nearly 20 calories per minute for a "passionate kiss". In consideration of this, data suggests the aforementioned world record for the longest kiss which lasted for over 58 hours may have burned 24,198.4 calories in total.
11. NUMBER OF KISSES PER DAY
According to findings published by Deutsche Well, Germans only kiss around four times per day, making them one of the most unwilling nationalities to kiss. People from France and Italy on the other hand sit at the opposite side of the spectrum, kissing an average of seven times per day.
12. SOME COUNTRIES DON'T KISS
Another fact stated by Deustche Well shows that nearly 10 percent of all countries worldwide do not kiss. This is primarily due to the fact that a kiss may mean very different things with different cultures. An example of this is how a three cheek kiss is standard in France, while a kiss in Japan is actually a sign of wanting to have sex.
13. COMPOSITION OF A KISS
Deutsche Well also provided a breakdown of what is really in every kiss. Data suggests that on average, there are 0.15 milligrams of gland secretion, 22,000 bacteria, 0.5 milligrams of protein, 60 milligrams of water, and 0.4 milligrams of salt.
14. FACIAL MUSCLES USED WHILE KISSING
Founded back in 1932, The Indian Express is one of the country's most trusted news portal. We decided to consult one of their articles published on International Kissing Day.
According to their article, a person activates up to 34 muscles per kiss depending on how the kiss is performed. It was also stated that kissing primarily revolves around the movement of the orbicularis oris muscle.
15. CAR KISSING
The same article by The Indian Express also states that there is a record for the longest duration for a kiss directed toward a car. It was stated that this record belongs to Ernesta Hernandez Ambrosio and Jesús Juárez Vite both from Mexico. The kissing session lasted a total of 76 hours.
CONCLUSION
As requested, we have compiled a list of 15 global numerical fun facts about kissing. Topics covered by facts included within this research revolve around world records, history, chemical composition, country statistics, demographic changes, and information about the human anatomy.