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Romantic kissing isn't universal, according to anthropologists.

Romantic kissing is not only abnormal, but also considered uncomfortable and repulsive, according to researchers from Indiana University.

The latest study involved 168 cultures from around the world.

"We hypothesized that some cultures would either not engage in romantic/sexual kissing, or find it to be a strange display of intimacy, but we were surprised to find that it was a majority of cultures that fell into this category," co-researcher Justin Garcia, a research scientist at Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, said in a news release. "This is a real reminder of how Western ethnocentrism can bias the way we think about human behavior."

Researchers found that only 46 percent of cultures engage in romantic kissing, which was defined as lip-to-lip contact that may or may not be prolonged.

"We hypothesized that some cultures would either not engage in romantic/sexual kissing, or find it to be a strange display of intimacy, but we were surprised to find that it was a majority of cultures that fell into this category," added Garcia. "This is a real reminder of how Western ethnocentrism can bias the way we think about human behavior."

"There is likely a biological underpinning to kissing, as it can often involve exchange of pheromones and saliva, and also pathogens -- which might be particularly dangerous in societies without oral hygiene, where kissing may lead to spread of respiratory or other illness," he concluded. "But this is only in societies that have come to see the erotic kiss as part of their larger romantic and sexual repertoires. How that shift occurs is still an open question for research."

The findings are published in the journal American Anthropologist.