Originally published on Youthradio.org, the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe.
By: Rachel Krantz
So I was wondering the other day--(and I'll spare you why)--why it is that humans kiss. I mean really, why is it almost always the first romantic step? Is it just because that's what we've always seen people do at the end of movies, or did even cavemen kiss?
So I dug around and did a little research. Here are some ideas:
Theory #1: Kissing started as a way for mothers to feed their babies.
Ok, so when I heard that theory it sounded pretty gross to me, by here's what the in-depth article in Scientific American I'll be referencing said:
In the 1960s British zoologist and author Desmond Morris first proposed that kissing might have evolved from the practice in which primate mothers chewed food for their young and then fed them mouth-to-mouth, lips puckered. Chimpanzees feed in this manner, so our hominid ancestors probably did, too. Pressing outturned lips against lips may have then later developed as a way to comfort hungry children when food was scarce and, in time, to express love and affection in general. The human species might eventually have taken these proto-parental kisses down other roads until we came up with the more passionate varieties we have today.
Well that makes sense to me in terms of kissing being something you learn as a kid. I know I was always lucky to get lots of hugs and kisses from my parents, but that still wouldn't exactly explain why people who didn't get that affection as kids still like to kiss as adults.
Theory #2: Kissing is a Drug
Anyone who remembers their first make out session can probably get behind this theory. But why does kissing feel so addictive with the right person?
Human lips enjoy the slimmest layer of skin on the human body, and the lips are among the most densely populated with sensory neurons of any body region. When we kiss, these neurons, along with those in the tongue and mouth, rocket messages to the brain and body, setting off delightful sensations, intense emotions and physical reactions.
Of the 12 or 13 cranial nerves that affect cerebral function, five are at work when we kiss, shuttling messages from our lips, tongue, cheeks and nose to a brain that snatches information about the temperature, taste, smell and movements of the entire affair.
Sounds like we're getting closer, but still, aren't there other romantic behaviors that provide the same, if not more intense, pleasure? This theory still wouldn't exactly explain why we tend to open with a kiss.
Theory #3: Evolution, Baby
I get kind of annoyed when we reduce all our desires to a question of furthering our gene pool, but in this case there's probably some truth to that argument. Kissing may have evolved as a way for females to pick out a compatible mate before they get to the point of carrying the wrong guy's baby.
In a study published in September 2007 Gallup and his colleagues surveyed 1,041 college undergraduates of both sexes about kissing. For most of the men, a deep kiss was largely a way of advancing to the next level sexually. But women were generally looking to take the relationship to the next stage emotionally, assessing not simply whether the other person would make a first- rate source of DNA but also whether he would be a good long-term partner...The reason a kiss carries such weight, Gallup theorizes, is that it conveys subconscious information about the genetic compatibility of a prospective mate.
Theory #4: Kissing First is Just More Polite
For most of us anyway. There are some societies-- where believe it or not-- people just don't kiss. And there are even people in our own society who don't. I remember meeting a young woman who had had sex, but had never kissed anyone. She said she had no desire to. I remember thinking that she must have had some serious emotional issues, but maybe she just didn't subscribe to the kissing tradition.
At the turn of the 20th century Danish scientist Kristoffer Nyrop described Finnish tribes whose members bathed together but considered kissing indecent. In 1897 French anthropologist Paul d'Enjoy reported that the Chinese regard mouth-to-mouth kissing to be as horrifying as many people deem cannibalism to be.
In fact, anthropologists estimate that up to 10% of humans just don't kiss.
So what's the real reason most of us lock lips? Maybe we shouldn't overthink it. Or better yet, maybe the best way to find out is to do a little anthropological research of our own.
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