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In The Science of Kissing, Sheril Kirshenbaum approaches the kiss through biology, history, culture, psychology, even zoology – but some secrets remain

I WAS a third of the way into Sheril Kirshenbaum’s fascinating little book when I started to worry about myself. It turns out that most people remember their first tender kiss incredibly well, recalling 90 per cent of the details, which are locked into their memories “more vividly than their first sexual encounter”. I racked my brain, but I couldn’t remember mine at all.

I do recall the night a high-school boyfriend kissed me on the porch while accidentally…

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