Why did humans start kissing?
While it is more common and interesting to put kissing in practice than talking about its history of origin sometimes in the middle of nowhere these questions come up like how did kissing ever become a thing?
For those of you who are interested to learn more more about “History of kissing 101” here are some interesting information and facts.
For starters, is it invented or is it a biological need?
Kissing is not universal among human beings and, even today, there are some cultures that have no place for it. This suggests that it is not innate or intuitive, as it so often seems to us.
The first kiss
Kissing is also not an individual activity so it seems reasonable to have at least two theories on how kissing was invented.
One of the popular ones say that either it is developed from early humans feeding their children mouth-to-mouth, also known as “kiss feeding”, the process by which mothers in some cultures feed their babies by passing masticated food from mouth-to-mouth. Yet, there are some present-day indigenous cultures that practise kiss feeding but not social kissing.
The other one is a bit more complex since it is based on the human need for recognition of each other that first started with smelling each other’s cheeks, and this turned (possibly by mistake) into kissing in ancient India as mouth-to-mouth contact is first referred to in the Vedas, the earliest references to the practice.
Four major texts in the Vedic Sanskrit literature suggest an early form of kissing. Dating from 1500 B.C., they describe the custom of rubbing and pressing noses together.
Ancient Greeks, when invading India, picked up this practice, and from there, it spread like crazy.
Is the French kiss really from France?
While there are various kinds and ways of kissing the one that is widely popular is the French kiss.
It’s doubtful that the French invented the art of kissing with tongue, but still, the term was popularised thanks to the country. Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of The Science of Kissing, explains that the phrase originated from full make out session in 1920 that American travellers experienced thanks to French women around the 1920s.
The actual technique of French kissing didn't gain popularity until post WWII so when and how it started it still stays a mystery. The only known fact is that is that it is one of the most practiced form of kissing across the World.
Is it unique to human beings?
Kissing behaviour is not unique to human beings. Primates such as Bonobo apes frequently kiss one another; dogs and cats lick one another and even insects engage in antennal play.
It could be that, rather than kissing, these animals are in fact grooming one another, but even so, their behaviour implies and strengthens the bond.
Why do we kiss?
Kissing is wonderful — so wonderful that most of us can recall 90 per cent of the details of our first kiss. A fast reality check bring us to the point that kissing is nothing more than two people putting their faces together and exchanging spit. So, how on earth did something so weird become so popular? !
It certainly has to do something with the crazy explosions it produces in our brain. During a kiss, this lip sensitivity causes our brain to create a chemical cocktail that can give us a natural high. This cocktail is made up of three chemicals, all designed to make us feel good and crave more: dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin.
All in all the dopamine released during a kiss can stimulate the same area of the brain activated by heroin and cocaine which answers our question how on earth did something so weird become so popular.
Romantically, passionately, longingly, thousands of kisses are given worldwide every minute.
Like many human behaviours, kissing is fascinating and complex. There is much more left to learn about kissing it history and effects on human beings so why not test it out more. You can always say it is in the name of science. :)
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