World Of Tourism

Sorry really is the hardest word. It's allowing your pride to take a back seat and admit that you were wrong, which for some people is quite a feat. But we have all had these moments in our lives and are destined to continue until we take our last breath, it's a flaw in our humanity but there is a new tip that could make your sorry have more impact for those particularly difficult situations.

Scientists, god bless them, have found that when we are angry, the right ear becomes more receptive to sound than the left. The discovery has led to the theory that by targeting the right ear, the penitent are more likely to succeed in talking someone round. Researchers came to the conclusion after carrying out hearing tests on 30 young men who had been worked up into a fury, that must have been quite a sight.

It is thought this is because the left side of the brain processes sounds that come in through the right ear. If anger activates it, noise from the right, but not the left, will be heard more keenly. Previous research has shown that if you want to persuade someone to do something, you should also speak in their right ear.

All of these studies, all of these conclusions are sort of tricks of the trade of being a human being and I know I'll give it a try, what do I have to lose?

Picture this. I'm standing in a bathroom of a crowded hall. People are slow dancing and I'm about 15 years old, a hopelessly optimistic and naive young woman swaying to the sweet sounds of a romantic song in the arms of my first love. The bathroom setting may not sound like the perfect venue but at the time the moons light was filtering through a window giving the room a blue glow. This was the moment I had been waiting for, the first kiss. Our bodies were close, I could feel his heart beating a little faster than mine, all the glances, hidden smiles and secret touches culminated in this glorious moment.

He leaned a little away from my face, while holding my waist close to his and looked at me with a debonair smile that made my toes curl. It was a moment Hollywood had been replicating for decades. The slow movement of our faces preparing to connect, lips parting, the senses more aware than they had ever been and then the lock. His tongue moved gently in my mouth and I fumbled for a second, give me a break, it was my first time and it was magical. I loved every minute and I will remember it for the rest of my life. Every time I hear the song that happened to be playing in the background, it takes me back to that moment. I still remember the smell and taste of him.

Ever since that experience, I've always viewed kissing as a passionate and intimate act. Sex is great but there's really nothing that compares to a first kiss, whether it be with your first love or someone you are madly obsessed with. So you can imagine my shock when I read about a new study, the short version is that kissing came about for a need to spread germs and build up our immune systems. Sort of takes the romance out of a beloved pastime.

So here's my theory, kissing is a way of expressing our love for one another, kissing is a memory we will cherish forever, kissing is what makes our heart flutter and the butterflies work over time in our stomachs so as much as I respect scientific research, this older and wiser woman still believes in the power of a first kiss and it has absoultely nothing to do with germs.