In modern culture, kissing on the lips is an expression of love. But why do we especially prefer mouth and lip? Why didn’t we choose the act of rubbing our cheeks or ears together instead?
To be able to comment on these, it is necessary to go far back in human history. Both biologists and anthropologists have some rather surprising ideas on this subject.
While kissing is common among humans, it is not universal and may not be welcome in some cultures.
About 10% of the world’s population does not choose to kiss because they find it disgusting or for various superstitious reasons. For example, in some parts of Sudan the mouth is believed to be the gateway to the soul; Therefore, there is a superstition that kissing invites death.
There are also taboos about who can kiss in some Muslim-majority societies governed by religious law. In such countries, a man who kisses or touches an unrelated woman can be flogged and imprisoned. Of course, this does not mean that the majority of the people in that country view kissing in this way. A segment with power may try to impose this idea on everyone.
Anthropologists and biologists have yet to come to a conclusion as to whether kissing is a learned or instinctive behavior.
Studies on the science of kissing first began in the 19th century and have been studied by modern scientists such as Cesare Lombroso, Ernest Crawley, Charles Darwin, Edward Burnett Tylor, and Elaine Hatfield.
Some scientists argue that mouth-to-mouth feeding is the cause of kissing, as many mammals chew hard food to feed their young and then pass them on to their young.
Kissing is therefore believed to be instinctive and intuitive, evolving from behaviors such as sucking or prior chewing. It is also thought to be a behavior that evolved to control the health of the kissing partner and control their saliva. Some scientists insist that it is a learned behavior.
The behavior of mothers feeding pre-chewed food to babies with their mouths is not unique to humans.
It is a behavior seen in other animals as well. In addition to this action, kissing is not unique to humans, but non-human primates have also been observed to kiss. Dogs, cats, birds, and other animals exhibit licking, nose-touching behavior among themselves and also towards humans or other species. Even snails and insects flirt by touching their antennae. These behaviors are interpreted by observers as a kind of kissing.
The first written evidence of loving mouth-to-mouth kissing is found in Sanskrit scriptures written circa 1500 BC.
These scriptures were the basis of the religion of Hinduism. Afterward, kissing continued to appear in ancient Indian and Hindu literature. In the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic compiled in the 4th century AD, there is a text that someone “puts my mouth in my mouth and makes a sound that gives me pleasure”. There are also sections in the Kama Sutra that describe different ways of kissing and sex. “Kama” means pleasure, “sutra” means book.
Anthropologist Vaughn Bryant suggests that kissing spread from India to Europe after Alexander the Great conquered the northern Indian regions of Punjab in 326 BC. So while evolution has had an effect, the widespread spread of kissing seems to have come from this region.
Although kissing may seem like a simple act, it works 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles in total.
The most important muscle in this action is the “orbicularis oris” muscle, also known as the “kissing muscle”, which is used to pucker the lips. In French kissing, the number of working muscles also increases, as the tongue for action is also the beach. In addition, the lips have a large number of nerve endings that are sensitive to touch and bite.
Kissing increases the production of feel-good hormones.
Regular kissing protects against depression thanks to oxytocin, which provides the feeling of love, endorphins responsible for the feeling of happiness, and dopamine, which stimulates the pleasure center in the brain.
Love in general has stress-reducing effects. In an experiment examining kissing, it was found that more frequent kissing by couples reduced stress and lowered cholesterol levels.
In summary; lots of kisses…
Sources: 1, 2, 3
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