The question of why humans kiss remains one of the great evolutionary mysteries
Why has evolution preserved this seemingly “impractical,” even risky habit? And why is it completely absent in some cultures?
The latest scientific study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, provides some answers and sheds light on the ancient origins of kissing.
According to the team of scientists led by evolutionary biologist Dr. Matilda Brindle, kissing likely appeared among the common ancestors of great apes as early as 21.5 to 16.9 million years ago.
Primates such as chimpanzees, bonobos and even our extinct relatives the Neanderthals probably practiced similar behavior.
According to studies, the earliest kisses of humanity were recorded 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.
However, they remain an “evolutionary puzzle” because they carry high risks, such as disease transmission, without offering any obvious advantage, explains Dr. Brindle.
Both a biological and cultural phenomenon, it is a behavior that activates the body’s senses and clearly has evolutionary origins.
However, the study does not reveal why or how it evolved, she notes.
An anthropological study covering 168 cultures around the world found that romantic kissing is present in only about 46% of them. That is, in more than half of human societies it is either absent or has completely different forms of expressing intimacy.
What does kissing actually do?
There are several scientific hypotheses – and they all have their arguments:
1. Evaluation of the partner:
When we kiss, we exchange trace elements from the other person’s saliva – this includes bacteria and molecules that can help assess their immune system and general health. Such a “signal” can serve as a form of biological test for compatibility.
2. Social and emotional bonding:
Kissing stimulates the release of “happiness hormones” such as oxytocin and dopamine, which enhance feelings of closeness and trust between partners.
Thus, it helps to sustain the couple at a time when long-term relationships are evolutionarily valuable, especially for raising offspring and social cooperation, and it also provokes a euphoric response or sexual stimulation.
3. Social communication:
Different cultures use kissing in many ways – not only romantic, but also as a greeting, a sign of respect or even a traditional ritual.
Dr. Bindl’s study paves the way for future research on humans and other primates to explore the more subtle differences in kissing behavior, including questions about who a person chooses to kiss and how. While science is giving us more and more facts, the ultimate “meaning” of kissing remains largely a mystery.
It is also interesting that for men and women, kissing has different meanings.
While for men, a long and intense kiss is a prelude to intimacy, women need much more kisses to achieve the same effect.
Women, unlike men, say that a kiss can change their decision whether to start or continue a relationship – only 31% of participants would continue the relationship if the first kiss was not perfect.
According to scientists, for women, kissing more often functions as a subconscious “biological and emotional screening” – a way to sense the chemistry, compatibility and even the potential genetic suitability of a partner.
Illustrative Photo by: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photo-of-man-and-woman-kissing-1600128/
