Lip-on-lip kissing is not nearly as universal as we might think it is, so can the diverse number of ways that humans kiss reveal what it is about this intimate act that we find important?

Less than half of all societies kiss with their lips, according to a study of 168 cultures from around the world. William Jankowiak, a professor of anthropology at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, found that only 46% use lip-to-lip kissing in a romantic sense, excluding things like parent-child kissing or greetings.

Two theories for why humans have a need to kiss stem from the idea that as babies we have an innate liking for lip touching. In one case, it might be that we associate lip touching with breastfeeding, and that reflex is innate in everyone. There is also a suggestion that mothers and their children bond over lip-on-lip kissing because of something called “premastication food transfer”. The mothers of our ancient ancestors might have pre-chewed our food for us in our early years, and transferred it directly into our mouths. This is something that is seen in our closest ancestors – chimpanzees – as well as other great apes.

“But I think the key to the human universal of kissing, or the absence of it, is that people’s sensuality can be met in many ways other than just kissing,” says Jankowiak.

Those cultures that do not kiss lip on lip find other ways to be intimate, says author Sheril Kirshenbaum. “There’s the Malay kiss that Darwin described, where women would squat down on the ground and men would kind of hang over them and take a quick sniff of each other – take a sample of their partner’s scent.”

For read the full text click here:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210813-the-reasons-humans-started-kissing

  • Other similar themes:

Is Covid-19 changing our relationships? – https://e-dermatologie.md/is-covid-19-changing-our-relationships/

The dark side of believing in true love – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-dark-side-of-believing-in-true-love-2/

Sex and Covid: What are the rules in lockdown? – https://e-dermatologie.md/sex-and-covid-what-are-the-rules-in-lockdown/

How Hong Kong is modernizing love hotels – https://e-dermatologie.md/how-hong-kong-is-modernizing-love-hotels/

The saboteurs you can hire to end your relationship – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-saboteurs-you-can-hire-to-end-your-relationship/

Is love just a fleeting chemical high in the brain? – https://e-dermatologie.md/is-love-just-a-fleeting-chemical-high-in-the-brain/

Why promoted women are more likely to divorce? – https://e-dermatologie.md/why-promoted-women-are-more-likely-to-divorce/

What if women had total control over pregnancy? – https://e-dermatologie.md/what-if-women-had-total-control-over-pregnancy/

Virgin births: Do we need sex to reproduce? – https://e-dermatologie.md/virgin-births-do-we-need-sex-to-reproduce/

The benefits of rebounding after a break-up – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-benefits-of-rebounding-after-a-break-up/

Should prostitution be a normal profession? – https://e-dermatologie.md/should-prostitution-be-a-normal-profession/

‘I’m 28 and I’ve never had an orgasm…’ – https://e-dermatologie.md/im-28-and-ive-never-had-an-orgasm/

The dark side of believing in true love – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-dark-side-of-believing-in-true-love/

A new way to look at emotions – and how to master yours – https://e-dermatologie.md/a-new-way-to-look-at-emotions-and-how-to-master-yours/

The mystery of the female orgasm – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-mystery-of-the-female-orgasm/

Is it better to be like your partner? – https://e-dermatologie.md/is-it-better-to-be-like-your-partner/

Why sexual assault survivors forget details? – https://e-dermatologie.md/why-sexual-assault-survivors-forget-details/

Are other people’s sex lives better than yours? – https://e-dermatologie.md/are-other-peoples-sex-lives-better-than-yours/

Could Love Island hold the key to lasting happiness? – https://e-dermatologie.md/could-love-island-hold-the-key-to-lasting-happiness/

I was a victim of forced marriage – https://e-dermatologie.md/i-was-a-victim-of-forced-marriage/

Is it possible to be unfaithful ‘just a little bit’? – https://e-dermatologie.md/is-it-possible-to-be-unfaithful-just-a-little-bit/

Would you pay your ex a “break-up fee”? – https://e-dermatologie.md/would-you-pay-your-ex-a-break-up-fee/

“I’m sad that I didn’t have sex until I was 37” – https://e-dermatologie.md/im-sad-that-i-didnt-have-sex-until-i-was-37/

Sex addiction: „Five times a day wasn’t enough” – https://e-dermatologie.md/sex-addiction-five-times-a-day-wasnt-enough/

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder – a severe form of Premenstrual syndrome – https://e-dermatologie.md/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-a-severe-form-of-premenstrual-syndrome/

I want to break the stigma of painful sex – https://e-dermatologie.md/i-want-to-break-the-stigma-of-painful-sex/

The adult webcam industry – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-adult-webcam-industry/

The many reasons that people are having less sex – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-many-reasons-that-people-are-having-less-sex/

The invention of heterosexuality – https://e-dermatologie.md/the-invention-of-heterosexuality/