Researchers predict we will spend about 20,160 minutes of our lives engaging in philematology. Osculation, another fancy-sounding term for the same act, is good for us, they say, and produces the same hormone in our body that firing a gun does. What is it that burns up 26 calories a minute, that helps reduce tooth decay, that half of us have tried by the age of fourteen?

Technically, it occurs when we align two contracted orbicularis muscles. Psychologically it's the apex of romantic expression. What are we talking about? Why kissing, of course! Here are some interesting kissing facts.

The kissing facts prove kissing to be far more than a simple science. Just as no two people are alike, so are no two kisses alike. Like snowflakes, each one is different from the one before and the one after. Kissing dad and grandma signifies familial affection. Kissing the rings of kings and popes and mafia lords illustrates reverence. And while kissing can also symbolize betrayal (Judas) and transformation (that lucky frog prince), it's watching Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst smooch it up in Spiderman that shows off kissing at its best.

Experts believe the kissing facts that the urge to lock lips is innate and crosses species. Elephants stick their trunks in each other's mouth and birds tap their bills together. Canadian porcupines kiss each other on the lips and chimpanzees swap saliva and tongue in their version of French kissing. Yet historians believe that only a fraction of humans kissed before Roman times.

A huge amount of the brain is devoted to sensory stimulation around the mouth. That's why you can get stabbed in the back and feel only a thump at first, but some interesting kissing facts are when a little bit of good kissing around the mouth, and you feel the intensity at once. Some interesting kissing facts are when you kiss someone, you receive an enormous amount of information about him or her. In fact, our brains are equipped with neurons that help us find our lover's lips in the dark. No wonder so many couples enjoy kissing at the movies.

More kissing facts reveal that the area around the nose and under the eyes produces oils and musks and a unique chemical smell. That explains why the Eskimos, Polynesians, and Malaysians rub noses. They are actually smelling each other, determining who they are and the state of their health.

Aside from the delicious experience of making you feel weak-kneed, kissing is actually beneficial for your health. When practiced correctly (!) kissing facts prove that it helps to reduce dermatitis, skin rashes, and blemishes. Kissing makes your skin glow and your eyes shine. Because it encourages saliva to wash away food from your teeth, it lowers the level of the acid that causes tooth decay, preventing plaque build-up. And kissing facts from research reveal kissing has even been shown to relieve headaches. Rarely is something that feels so good so good for you!