‘I’ve been on plenty of dates – but nothing happened’: are we looking at the death of the kiss?

Published 13 August 2026 · general

Call it a crisis, call it a decline, call it a recession: the long, lusty snog is in trouble, harder to experience in real life

Call it a crisis, call it a decline, call it a recession: the long, lusty snog is in trouble, harder to experience in real life or even watch on screen. But why? And what’s it like to think you may never lock lips with another?

Spencer’s last kiss was two years ago, on a first date. It started off promisingly: after matching on Tinder, they met for a walk, then got drinks and ice-cream, before having dinner at her place. Finally, they kissed. “I didn’t like it,” says Spencer.

He still struggles to identify why. “I found her attractive. There was chemistry, but something was lacking. There was nothing behind the kiss – it felt like a mechanical thing to do.” That wasn’t just Spencer’s most recent kiss – it was his first ever, at the age of 29.

Now 31, he says a second kiss in some ways feels less possible than having se “The jump feels way bigger.” Continue reading...

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