International Kissing Day: ‘French Kiss’ More Popular in the US than in France

Michael Blann/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — In celebration of International Kissing Day, recognized around the world on July 6, Zoosk.com, the romantic social network, recently surveyed more than 13,000 of its members from around the globe to gather their thoughts about one of life’s sweetest pleasures — kissing.

The survey results:

• Forty-six percent of Americans say a “French Kiss” is their favorite type of kiss while only 21 percent of the French prefer it. The French prefer a single sensual lip kiss with 55 percent of the French selecting that as their favorite type of kiss.
• The least preferred type of kiss in the U.S. is an “air kiss,” with less than one percent of Americans selecting it as their favorite.
• Americans are more likely to kiss on a first date than Europeans.  The majority of Americans (52 percent), Australians (58 percent) and Canadians (54 percent) say they kiss on a first date. The majority of Europeans, on the other hand, do not. Only 29 percent of Germans, 37 percent of Danes, 47 percent of Swedes, 32 percent of the French and 42 percent of Italians say they do so.
• Ninety-five percent of Americans say kissing in public is fine, while five percent say they prefer others keep kissing a more private activity. Surprisingly, Italians, who are well known for their romantic displays, are slightly more conservative than Americans with 10 percent of Italians preferring amorous couples kiss in private.
• Kissers worldwide agree that bad breath is the biggest turn-off.  Fifty-nine percent of kissers around the world (60 percent in U.S.) say bad breath is the worst offense when it comes to kissing. Other turn-offs around the globe include: a wet kiss, too much tongue, and a kiss that is too short.
• A kiss hello? This French tradition is gaining popularity in the United States. America is the land of the handshake or a hug as a greeting, but a whopping 55 percent of Americans say they now use a kiss as a greeting. Ninety-five percent of the French say they greet others with a kiss.
• Hello, Goodbye. Which kiss is more important? The French stand alone with their preference for a hello kiss (84 percent). The majority of kissers in every other country surveyed, including 64 percent of Americans, say a goodbye kiss is more important than a kiss hello.
• The votes are in and the most romantic Hollywood kiss, according to Americans, was between Rachael McAdams and Ryan Gosling in The Notebook.

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