You can literally kiss and tell whether a person is warm and genuine or a cold hearted individual, for a study has revealed that the way someone kisses discloses much about their personality.

80 per cent of men and women, whether left or right handed, turned their heads to the right when moving in on their target.

Researchers studied hundreds of volunteers, and observed many more kissing in public places, and they found that the way they kissed displayed certain personality traits.

The main finding was that those who turn their heads to the left are not really making a warm gesture at all because they are using less emotional parts of their brain.

"One theory that has been put forward is that by turning their head to the right, the individual reveals their left cheek which is controlled by the emotive right cerebral hemisphere," lead researcher Dr Julian Greenwood, of Stranmillis University College, Belfast, was quoted by the Daily Mail, as saying.

Air kisses often practiced by celebs are another 'unemotional' type of greeting. The study is due to be published next month in the scientific journal Laterality.

Research has pointed out the beneficial effects of a kiss. A Japanese study found that 30 minutes of passionate kissing could help control hay fever.

Tests suggest that it relaxes the body and reduces the production of histamine, a chemical pumped out by cells in an allergic response to pollen.

Another study showed that 88 per cent of couples in long and happy relationships have lips of similar size and men's tend to be on the thinner side.

Women with fuller lips are 28 per cent more likely to be seen as a fun date than marriage material, while their thin-lipped rivals were 57 per cent more likely to have long relationships, the Leicester University study found.