Lafayette Campus News (www.lafayette.edu), February 11, 2008 — Wendy Hill, Provost and Rappolt Professor in Neuroscience; John Kincaid, Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service; and Susan Averett, Dana Professor and head of economics and business, have been featured recently in various newspaper articles.

Hill was quoted Feb. 11 in the article “The Differences in Gender --- Sealed With a Kiss” in the Washington Post, Kincaid was quoted Feb. 10 in “Mapmaker's border error raises new water war front” in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Averett wrote an op-ed piece which appeared Feb. 10 in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

The Washington Post article explores the many physical and emotional reasons why people kiss. Hill was quoted concerning research she helped perform as the thesis adviser of neuroscience graduate Carey Wilson ’07. Their study, which focused on the physiological processes associated with kissing, was also featured in the cover story of the February edition of Scientific American Mind.

The following is an excerpt from the Washington Post article:

Another recent study that measured oxytocin levels of kissing couples found kissing only caused the bonding hormone to rise in men. But those researchers speculated that might have been because the experiment took place in the decidedly unromantic setting of a college health center.

"Our working hypothesis was males are less affected by the ambiance, if you will," said Wendy L. Hill of Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. The study did find that kissing lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol in both sexes.

The article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at the State of Georgia’s attempt to move its border 1.1 miles northward into Tennessee in order to use water from the Tennessee River. Kincaid is quoted:

"I'm sure Tennessee would argue that's an implicit consent," said John Kincaid, an expert on federalism at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. "If Georgia hasn't complained for almost 200 years, it's kind of a settled issue. Georgia is just complaining now because of the water problem."

Averett’s article in the Harrisburg Patriot-News discusses research she has recently completed with colleagues from the University of Colorado at Denver. The study explores the possibility that rather than the common belief that substance use leads to risky behavior in teens, substance use and other risky behaviors are both probably caused by a teen's propensity to take risks. Based on the research, Averett believes that a new approach toward policy in this area may need to be taken.