That's the word from a "Kiss and Tell" survey from Harris Interactive conducted for SoftLips Lip Conditioning Balm that uncovered everything you ever wanted to know about kissing. American Kissing Customs
-- Greeting a Stranger: 40 percent of respondents are uncomfortable when someone they've just met tries to kiss them when saying hello or goodbye; more women than men indicate that this lip maneuver makes them feel uncomfortable (49 percent women, 30 percent men).
-- Who's Kissing Where: Those from the Northeast are most likely to indicate that they greet very close friends with a kiss (42 percent).
-- A Family Affair: About one-third (37 percent total; 32 percent males, 41 percent of females) will only greet immediate family members with a kiss; those from the Midwest (42 percent) and the South (41 percent) are more likely to say this.
-- "Hello, Dahling": An air kiss is more likely to come from women (15 percent) than men (10 percent); fewer men and women express their preference for the double-cheek kiss as a casual greeting (7 percent).
-- Smooch the Pooch: 45 percent of women and 27 percent of males admit that they kiss their pets.
Kisses That Spark Fireworks
-- Top Kisses: Tender kisses (42 percent) and lustful, passionate kisses (40 percent) rank the highest on the list of favorite types of kisses for both sexes; however, women consider the tender kiss to be the best (48 percent), while men prefer the lustful, passionate pucker (46 percent).
-- Surprise Smooch!: Women favor spontaneous kisses more than men (38 percent women, 31 percent of men).
-- First...and Forbidden: 27 percent of adults surveyed consider their first kiss to be one of their favorite types of kisses, while 12 percent feel that a forbidden kiss is tops.
-- Kiss and Make Up: One in 10 Americans prefer the kiss-and-make-up variety of kiss.
-- Butterfly Kisses: Women favor lots of small kisses more than twice as much as men (12 percent versus 5 percent).
-- The Nuptial Sealer: Only 8 percent of all those surveyed--equal among men and women--feel that the "you may now kiss the bride" kiss was one of the best kinds of kisses.
The Manners of Kissing
-- Opening Kiss: 58 percent of total respondents feel that it is perfectly fine to kiss on the first date, though men are more apt to be open to first date frolicking (65 percent men, 51 percent of women).
-- Ladies, Take the Lead: More than half (58 percent) of men believe that the woman can make the first move for a first kiss.
-- Goodbye Kiss: Men and women differ when it comes to bad dates and kissing: 39 percent of women say they will never kiss a bad date good night, compared to only 26 percent of men who won't. Interestingly, 13 percent of the men state that they have ended a bad date with a kiss, while only 6 percent of women replied the same.
The First "Real" Kiss
-- The Preteen Peck: 22 percent of respondents admit that their first "real" kiss happened when they were between 11 and 13 years old.
-- High School Hot Lips: The most common age for a first "real" kiss to have happened was between the ages of 14 and 16 (37 percent), with 18 percent getting their first memorable smooch between 17 and 19 years old.
-- Still Waiting: 4 percent of Americans are still waiting for their first real kiss.
