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You might think everyone knows what a kiss is. Yet two scientists from the University of Oxford had to come up with a precise scientific definition of this romantic gesture — and were rewarded with an Ig Nobel Prize, given for research that first makes people laugh and then makes them think.

Dr. Matilda Brindle and Professor Stuart West wanted to investigate the evolutionary origins of kissing, but first they had to agree on a clear and universal description of the act itself.

In the end, they settled on the following definition: “a non-aggressive interaction involving directed interspecific contact of oral cavities with some movement of the lips or parts of the mouth and without the transfer of food.”

The decidedly unromantic definition earned the scientists an Ig Nobel Prize — an annual award honoring research “that first makes people laugh, and then makes them think.”

In an interview with The Times, Dr. Brindle said their definition of a kiss fully meets scientific criteria, but admitted: “I’m not sure I would use it to introduce myself to someone.”

The researchers compiled a list of apes and monkeys in which kissing had been documented according to their definition, then compared the data with the evolutionary tree of primates to determine the origins of the behavior.

Their calculations suggested that the first kisses may have appeared between 16.9 million and 21.5 million years ago. This could perhaps support Plato’s ancient idea that love is older than humanity itself.

The scientists also concluded that Neanderthals — a species closely related to modern humans — were very likely to have kissed as well.

“It would be a little strange if Neanderthals didn’t kiss,” Brindle said, noting that the behavior has been observed in chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans and several species of monkeys.

Interestingly, scientists have found evidence of oral microorganism exchange between Neanderthals and modern humans. This suggests that members of the two species likely exchanged saliva.

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