"Wow, he's such a good kisser!" I've heard this line countless times but, as I can remember, I have never heard a man saying "She really kisses well". In fact, guys I know do not even give a rat's a*s about that.

And now it is also scientifically explained: a research at New York State University made on over 1,000 students showed that indeed for women kissing is a much more important issue than for men. For women, kissing seems to be a tool for appreciating the man as a potential partner and later to further advance into intimacy and to assess the status of a relationship, while for men, kissing is a minor issue and they perceive it as a woman's 'surrendering' act, signaling a higher likelihood of sex.

Based on the answers offered by the subjects, the researchers found that men were less discriminating when they had to choose whom to kiss or whom to have sex with. Men appeared much eager to have sex with someone without kissing, to have sex with a stranger they are not attracted to and their decision to have sex with someone is not influenced by the "mark" they give on the "kissing abilities" of the partner (a bad kissing partner did not stop them).

Meanwhile, the kissing issue was more important as a bonding factor for women. To regard the man as a possible long-term relationship partner, women had to offer a high "mark" and they signaled kissing as an important factor throughout a relationship. Instead, men's interest on kissing lowered as the relationship progressed.

The two genders also have different tastes as far as kisses are concerned: men prefer wet, tongue kisses.

"Kissing had developed over time to become an essential part of the courtship process. While both sexes participate in the adaptive benefits of kissing, we found sex differences when considering the pursuit of short-versus long-term mating strategies." said lead researcher Dr Gordon Gallup.