1. Predicting Variations in Motivations for Romantic Kissing
Is a Kiss Just a Kiss?:
Predicting Variations in Motivations for Romantic Kissing
Elle Moore, Danica Kulibert, B.S., Ashley Thompson, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Gender Differences
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Romantic Kissing
Romantic kissing is defined as “lip-to-lip contact that may or may not be prolonged” between two individuals in a sexual, intimate setting (Jankowiak, Volsche, & Garcia, 2015).
It is often referred to as a gateway behavior that may serve as a transition into more intimate and risky behaviors (O’Sullivan, Cheng, Harris & Brooks-Gunn, 2007).
Kissing has also been cited as an important behavior used when expressing love between romantic partners (Regan et al., 2007; Welsch et al., 2005).
Although romantic kissing has been considered both common and significant enough to include in studies of sexual behavior, few studies have examined why individuals engage in romantic kissing.
Thus, the current study sought to obtain a better understanding of romantic kissing by examining its many descriptive characteristics. In addition, the role romantic kissing plays in one’s life was also assessed by examining reasons why people may engage in it.
Method
Participants
461 U.S. adults (216 men, 246 women)
M (age) = years (SD = 10.73)
Heterosexual (81%)
In a committed relationship (71.3%)
Measures
Demographic Questionnaire
Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale (Hendrick, Hendrick, & Reich, 2006)
Religiosity Scale (Whisman et al., 2007)
International Personality Item Pool (Goldberg, 1999)
YKiss? Scale (Thompson, Anisimowicz, & Kulibert, under review)
42 items
Instructed to indicate how frequently an item led them to kiss someone from 1 (not at all) to 5 (a great deal)
Subscales
Relational/Sexual Motive Subscale (α = 0.93)
Ex: “It feels good”, “I wanted to express my love”
Goal Attainment/Insecurity Motive Subscale (α = 0.96)
Ex: “I wanted attention”, “I felt obligated” = 1
Men report goal attainment/insecurity motives for romantic kissing (M = 1.83, SD = 0.89) significantly more than do women (M = 1.51, SD = .70), t(460) = 4.30, p < .001.
Both men (M = 3.23, SD = 0.88) and women (M = 3.30, SD = .88) equally report relational/sexual motives for romantic kissing, t(460) = 0.79, p > .05.
Who Are Adults Kissing?
Predicting Relational/Sexual Motives for Romantic Kissing
Predicting Motives for Romantic Kissing
Although motives for romantic kissing are not well studied, related research assessing motives for other sexual behaviors has been conducted more extensively. Thus, variables that influence motives for other sexual behaviors and sexual attitudes likely predict motives for romantic kissing.
Gender: Men typically report more physical motives for sexual intercourse and women report more emotional motives (Buss & Meston, 2007).
Age: Older people report a greater number of motives for sexual intercourse than do younger people (Meston, Hamilton, & Harte, 2009).
Sexual Attitudes: Individuals with less permissive sexual attitudes report greater goal-oriented motives for sexual intercourse than do those with more permissive attitudes (Jones, 1998).
Religiosity: People higher in religiosity report more negative attitudes toward casual sex than are those lower in religiosity (Murray, Ciarrocchi, & Murray-Swank, 2007).
Personality: Openness and Extraversion appear to relate to both sexual attitudes and sexual interests (Costa et al., 1992; Thompson & O’Sullivan, 2012).
Predictors R2 β sr
0.35
Gender
0.03
Age
-0.12
-0.12**
Sexual Attitudes
-0.05
Religiosity
0.02
Extraversion
0.30
0.24***
Agreeableness
-0.06
-0.04
Conscientiousness
0.11
0.08
Neuroticism
0.18
0.12*
Openness to Experience
0.05
a N = 461; F(9, 452) = 7.10, p < .001
b Gender: Men = 0, Women = 1
c * = p < .05, ** = p < .01, *** p < .001
Note. Pie chart displays responses to the item: “Among those who you have kissed, what percentage of them have been people you were in a romantic relationship with?
Do People Enjoy Kissing?
When Do Adults Report Experiencing Their First Kiss?
M = SD = 38.13
Predicting Goal Attainment/Insecurity Motives for Romantic Kissing
M = SD = 3.53
Frequency
Frequency
Predictors R2 β sr
0.42
Gender
-0.11
-0.13**
Age
-0.02
Sexual Attitudes
0.13
0.16**
Religiosity
0.15
0.19***
Extraversion
0.28
0.27***
Agreeableness
-0.32
-0.30***
Conscientiousness
-0.23
-0.19***
Neuroticism
0.09
0.07
Openness to Experience
-0.01
a N = 461; F(9, 452) = 35.90, p < .001
b Gender: Men = 0, Women = 1
c * = p < .05, ** = p < .01, *** p < .001
Percentage of Kisses Enjoyed
Age of First Kiss
Note. Bar graph displays responses to the item: “Among those who you have kissed, what percentage of them did you enjoy kissing?”
How Many People Do Adults Report Kissing?
Why Do People Kiss?
The Current Study
To advance the literature on motives for romantic kissing, the current study was designed to obtain a better understanding of romantic kissing and the role it play in adults’ lives. In particular, who people are kissing and how much they enjoy kissing.
In addition, the current study sought to evaluate the predictive utility of a variety of variables that account for variations in adults’ motives for romantic kissing.
Consistent with prior research on sexual motives, attitudes, and experiences, it was hypothesized that gender, age, sexual attitudes, religiosity, and personality would influence motives for romantic kissing.
As the current study is exploratory in nature, no specific hypotheses were made regarding the direction of the relationships between these variables and motives for romantic kissing.
Discussion and Implications
M = SD = 41.88
Adults reported a wide-range in motives for romantic kissing, with the sexual/relational motives being reported most often.
Although the goal attainment/insecurity motives were reported less frequently, it is important not to overlook these “maladaptive motives” because of their potential implications.
Surprisingly, men reported more goal attainment/insecurity motives than did women. This is inconsistent with the generally held notion that women use intimate/sexual behaviors as a means, often to obtain power, more than do men.
Those younger in age and higher Neuroticism and Extraversion were most likely to report kissing for sexual/relational motives.
Men, those higher in religiosity and Extraversion, lower in Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, and with more permissive sexual attitudes were most likely to report kissing for goal attainment/insecurity motives.
These findings demonstrate the importance of romantic kissing to romantic relationships and the need for more in-depth research into this aspect of human sexuality.
Frequency
Number of People Kissed
This research was supported, in part, by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Undergraduate Student/Faculty Collaborative Research Small Grant.
Note. The bar graph above depicts the most commonly endorsed and the three least commonly endorsed kissing motives on a 5-point Likert scale.