A couple of stories to show that even St Valentine’s Day can be a topic for research…
Psychology Researchers at Dundee University have discovered that most hugs last about three seconds. Three seconds appears to be a universal time frame that many human actions take, such as waving good-bye, a musical phrase, a breath (inhaling and exhaling) and the French “bises” two-kiss greeting. This three second period has been found to be universal, and has been called the “feeling of now-ness”. Dr Emese Nagy, who led the study, was inspired to look at the length of post-competition hugs of gymnasts. Most three second research has been into individuals. Dr Nagy wanted to see how two people experienced a three-second event.
Talking about her findings, Dr Nagy said,
”The interesting thing is that, regardless of culture, nationality or gender, they all shared the moment through a hug whether they were expressing happiness, comforting, or being comforted.
”Our research illustrated that these feelings can be transmitted to another person to make the movement a shared experience.
”These moments may increase the likelihood of sharing further experiences, synchronization of further movements, and ultimately, could lead to the feeling of ’togetherness’ between people.”
And kisses….
A new book – The Science of Kissing: What our lips are telling us by Sheril Kirschenbaum, a researcher at the University of Texas –has been selling like hotcakes over in the USA. This book is 272 pages on the science of kissing, looking at it from the perspective of evolutionary biology, anthropology, psychology and chemistry. Here is what the author said about the chemistry of kissing in a recent interview in the Los Angeles Times.
“A good kiss is associated with a rise in a chemical called oxytocin (popularly known as the ”love hormone”) that leads to strong feelings of attachment as we form a special bond with someone else. Meanwhile, dopamine rises, resulting in feelings of craving and desire. It can also seem impossible to stop thinking about the other person because of a serotonin, which causes obsessive feelings and thoughts. A kiss acts like a natural drug, making it a very powerful experience”.
Happy St Valentines!
