Why do humans kiss?
-- asks Roberto Morabito from Brooklyn, NY.
Kristina Fiore • October 2, 2006
Scientists currently have no explanation for this particular KISS. (CREDIT: Wok)
Her eyes are wide as they stare into yours. You wrap your arm around her waist and pull her in close. She touches your face and you lean in, tilt your head – to the right, of course – and your lips connect. The rushing sensation leaves you little room to wonder, “Why the hell am I doing this anyway?”
Of course, the simplest answer is that humans kiss because it just feels good. But there are people for whom this explanation isn’t quite sufficient. They formally study the anatomy and evolutionary history of kissing and call themselves philematologists.
So far, these kiss scientists haven’t conclusively explained how human smooching originated, but they’ve come up with a few theories, and they’ve mapped out how our biology is affected by a passionate lip-lock.
A big question is whether kissing is learned or instinctual. Some say it is a learned behavior, dating back to the days of our early human ancestors. Back then, mothers may have chewed food and passed it from their mouths into those of their toothless infants. Even after babies cut their teeth, mothers would continue to press their lips against their toddlers’ cheeks to comfort them.
Supporting the idea that kissing is learned rather than instinctual is the fact that not all humans kiss. Certain tribes around the world just don’t make out, anthropologists say. While 90 percent of humans actually do kiss, 10 percent have no idea what they’re missing.
Others believe kissing is indeed an instinctive behavior, and cite animals’ kissing-like behaviors as proof. While most animals rub noses with each other as a gesture of affection, others like to pucker up just like humans. Bonobos, for example, make up tons of excuses to swap some spit. They do it to make up after fights, to comfort each other, to develop social bonds, and sometimes for no clear reason at all – just like us.
Today, the most widely accepted theory of kissing is that humans do it because it helps us sniff out a quality mate. When our faces are close together, our pheromones “talk” – exchanging biological information about whether or not two people will make strong offspring. Women, for example, subconsciously prefer the scent of men whose genes for certain immune system proteins are different from their own. This kind of match could yield offspring with stronger immune systems, and better chances for survival.
Still, most people are satisfied with the explanation that humans kiss because it feels good. Our lips and tongues are packed with nerve endings, which help intensify all those dizzying sensations of being in love when we press our mouths to someone else’s. Experiencing such feelings doesn’t usually make us think too hard about why we kiss – instead, it drives us to find ways to do it more often.
Filed To
Share
About the Author
Kristina Fiore
By day, a mild-mannered reporter(former Newsday intern, current Daily Record part-timer); Alter-ego: lover of non-fiction narrative. “If he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, he will, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.” — Life of Pi
353 Comments
i like bananas…theyre fun.
i agree with “hey.” bananas ARE fun. and u guys are losers how can u right so much about this and is there any need to research it. SERIOUSLAH!
WOW!!! LMFAO!!! AHAAHAAHA! other than this person named hey, and mickey, u all need to get lives. get off ur computer for 5 minutes and go do something u nerds
@Mark
well done…
way to add to the debate…
(yes i see the irony in making a post to chastize someone else for exactly the same reason im doing it, so in that spirit…)
If creationalism is equally valid as evolution as a scientific theory, which creator should be taught? Judeo/Christian? Hindu? or should we all submit to the theory of the people on Viltvoodle 6 (sp?)
Kami
I accuse you of being a fundamentaist because you are. A trade mark of fundamentalism is ignoring factual evidence in favour of your own beliefs, which you do. There are no serious scientific studies that have found any problems with the underlying theory of evolution. If you actually had any then this debate would be over and evolution would be thrown out and you would win the argument. Fact is you can’t produce scientifically valid studies supporting your viewpoint because they don’t exist.
And what you mistake for insecurity is actually frustration, frustration that you won’t listen, that you spout off your nonsense arguments over and over, refuse to actually tackle criticism in a logical way or even address the points against you and the repeat your flawed assertions. It’s clear you know absolutely nothing about evolution or genetics because you bring into question the big bang (nothing to do with evolution) and claim humans are more closely related to mice than chimps (just not true). Where are you getting this stuff? It’s just plain wrong.
i dont kno
And how does this explain blow jobs? Answer me that Gothfag and Kamichrist
Ah, Americans squabbling over evolution.
Meanwhile (mainly atheist) China is creeping up on you. It won’t be pretty if all you have is a bunch of religious right ranters and no jobs, will it?
If we kill Kami off now, then there will be no descendents of his. Then the warped brain will not replicate. There, evolution demonstrated.
First off Anon is right, kissing spreads the most bacteria from human to human in daily life next to money. Of course that won’t stop people from doing it, I am a germaphobe so I have never kissed or even touched a women at that, my mental disorder won’t allow it, but I heard it sounds good and the origin I believe was the male checking to see if his wife had wine, I don’t know if there is any truth to this but that is what some say. I studied human behavior in college and the reason we kiss now days is because we grew up learning that it is fun and “naughty” and may lead to other stuff. Well to all u kissers out there have fun and make sure u wash your mouth afterwards lol jp, chances of u getting a lifethreatening bacteria from kissing is 10,000 to 1 so have fun and enjoy those sweet lips
@ Riley, Can you even comment on kissing if you’ve never done it? This question goes out to all those non-kissers. You all need to drop your barriers because ur missing out. Seriously, who cares if you get bacteria from another person you get it everyday whether you like or not, and if you did’nt you’d be dead right now bc ur immune system wouldn’t be able to cope with the highly unsanitary world we live in. no matter how clean u r, ur still dirty. So the point is get out there don’t be a prude, and have a good time, this way you don’t become best friends with your right hand. Seriously,sexual activity is important for ur mental and physical health. U don’t know what ur missing
@ Britt, ur funny, lmao
While you morons are talking about kissing I’m doing it because it feels good and its a way to show my feelings towards my loved one. Have fun arguing!
I’m not quite sure why we kiss, but i have a feeling it has something to do with instict, because when you kiss some one you’re involved with you get turned on,there for a female gets “wet” and a man gets “hard”. So i would think it has to do with instinct, mating, and emotionally bonding reasons.
Oh and as far as the 200 colonies of bacteria you swap with each other when you kiss. You have over 200,000,000 colonies of bacteria where ever you go.Do you open doors??? the answer is yes, there’s bacteria. Do you wash your hands before you eat?? some people do, alot don’t, there’s bacteria going in your mouth then. It’s not like you live in a hospital where everythings sterile, and even in a hospital everythings not sterile. If you live with the one you’re kissing you both have basically the same bacteria in your body anyways, so why does it matter??
Interesting ideas all..has anyone noticed the length of this thread? its safe to say, we are ALL curious about something as “simple” as kissing.
Heres my 2 cents…
as to bacteria, so what? Humans are incredible machines, we harbor, and NEED countless forms of bacteria in countless numbers…
Think about it, most of us have had some form of food poisoning, and disregarded it something else (what, exactly IS stomach flu anyway????)
bacteria, is a non-factor.
evolution vs. creationism-this one is sticky….
seems to me, that both sides of the argument are equally arrogant and unknowing, yet i myself by definition must be on one side, or the other…
i personally can see no way that anyone can deny evolution. personally, i consider it more as fact than theory.
however, evolution as fact or theory does not disprove god or creation.
and i have no idea where that places me on said argument.
now, since i dont know any of you, nor ever will, i can be personal here regarding kissing.
i dont have to smell or taste someone to want to kiss them, or to know that i dont want to kiss them. i know that well before i get that ‘close’
purely physical then? shes got a hot body, so i wanna kiss her and go from there?
no, thats not it, but its closer than i need to let my pheremones parade through her tulips (no pun intended) comes….
i guess, at the end of the day, it implies intimacy, and trust, which some believe are the foundations of a lifelong parternship with a mate.
perhaps these are tests?
i am no biologist either, but is it not true that
most mammals do NOT mate for life, that this is the exception, and not the rule?
as much as i appreciate science, and concede all
its shown us, i think a good scientist will be the first to tell you to NOT trust it!
science and religion can, perhaps must, find a way to coexist. i can find many ways that science is faulted-we even have a term for it now-
Junk Science (global warming, anyone?)
note that i am neither an evangelist, or a scientist.
let the flaming begin, and happy smootching!
I am an anthropology student and i brought this subject up to my professor. He says that it is instinct based with techniques and styles being learned. As for thosde who don’t kiss: that is part of their cultural evolution. 100 % their ancestors at some time kissed
I have always wondered, I love to kiss and its always been a interest I want to be a kissing scientist now, sounds fun :D
i need about saliva not kissing!!!! dUh!!!
Blah..When I watch dramas or movies..,I close my eyes when I see kiss scenes coming…I hate kisses!
who doesnt like to kiss?? we do.
its hot sticking yor tongue down someone elses neck. thats why we all do it. especially to each other. all the time.
kiss kiss
anyone who doesnt like an intimate kiss with a lover oviously isnt getting any…
if you cant kiss…..give head
if you cant give head….
GIVE UP!
Obviously kissing is a source of evolution, it feels good because it is a trait that encourages survival. It is intimate, you would only kiss someone that you don’t think carries disease or illness and it helps to understand their genetic structure better.
I think overall evolution is the most logical explanation – the true workings of the universe are mysterious, but a trial and error basis for genetics makes sense. We do forget how many creatures die off and are extinct every day – which is just a normal part of nature’s random trial and error.
It may seem amazing how complex things are, but it also makes sense that random cells frequently reproducing and competing would evolve into complex creatures. Think dinosaurs. Makes sense, prior to the asteroid the best survival mechanism was to have monsters that got bigger and bigger, the most relentless huge was most well adapted to survive. Creatures developing other instincts weren’t able to live long enough to see those traits flourish. Post-asteroid it seems the human ancestor was a shrewd little rodent-like creature that could scavage for food and use innovation to live, rather than brauns.
These are my guesses, but I haven’t read enough on the topic really.
Does anyone have the references/ bibliography for the above article? I really liked it, and would like to follow up on some of the findings. Thanks!
Kissing is one of the most intimate ways of expressing one’s feelings for another. When done properly, the emotion, the love can be felt in the very act itself. Whether it’s learned or instinctive doesn’t matter. Just enjoy the sensation when it happens, I say.
The fact that anon things kissing is gross should be noted. “It feels good” is subject to quite a lot of variance in humans. Personally I think it’s gross too, I just really love inhaling my mate’s pheremones.
I am researching a theory that kissing is actually a way of immunising the female again catching various sexually transmitted diseases. It has been found that males contain higher levels of IgA in their saliva. This is an antibody to HPV (and potentially other things). HPV (human papillomavirus) leads to cervical cancer in females. Kissing, i.e. saliva exchange, could be a way of immunising the female from cathing a potentially life threatening illness, before having sex. This theory also explains why kissing someone once they have eaten garlic is often a turn off. Garlic is a natural antiseptic and would destroy whatever is valuable in the saliva (e.g. IgA). Therefore kissing someone who has eaten garlic has no benefits, only the risk of catching disease. Whether or not the unknown substance is IgA and the unknown disease is HPV, this is a plausable hypothesis!
you guys are funny :-)
you say chimps do it..
well MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO..righht? (:
you guyes are forgetting the mane thing you kiss to show how mucch you love the other person i like kurtys
kissing is hot but it has to be good to make sense i mean i,ve had some bad experiences and some dudes are lost!!!!!!!!!
Kiss me someone!
This goes to illustrate the point that over analyzing love is worse for love than the actual practice of kissing is bad for your health. Who wants to think about the reasons, who cares? It is instinctual behavior in many cultures and that is really all I personally care about. When I get close to a woman I have no interest in things like bacteria counts or chimpanzees or any other distracting thoughts entering my mind.
Aaahhh….I can’t believe I read just about all of those comments….
Ambiwistor (and a few other people), if you ever see this, why did you argue(debate? discuss? whatever.) with Kami-MP for as long as you did?
I can’t believe there is a formal name for people who study kissing… and the call themselves “philematologists.” =) I wonder what kinds of research they do… hmm..^^
Hello people …
I have nothing to say …
You all are awesome !!!
I can see the variety of answers from the most stupid answer to beyond than normal answer …
Humans are beutiful … and I love to kiss them ^^ only when and if I want to …
I neve kissed. Some times I feel like but I have no one too. I just feel the rush to do it.
Maybe people are just like putting their tongues in a warm place because its comforting and it isnt bad to do. I mean is a cold or warm shower more comforting?
wow… 288 responses… about why humans kiss… i realli do wish i had that much time on my hands… lol As for the subject.. I think you are all realli digging to deep for such a simple question. Kissing is realli just another way to show your mate you love/care for them. It also does tend to lead to more intimate things to show that one is really into you or wants intercourse…
Just my two cents… ; }
btw.. i love it when my guy kisses me… the way he does it shows me he loves me.. there fore he gets kissed back letting him know i feel the same.
It’s really not that cokmpliacted and why try to complicate things we will never understand anyway? One perspective is no better than another…
The mouth is like the hole of the face and who doesnt like holes.
little people are not allowed to kiss the girl/boy they like.They are just to small
what the crap?!
not true ok!
im thai and thats really insulting. get your facts right douche!
I do not enjoy kissing. When I have sex I just want sex and no kisses. Expressing love? I never was with a man I loved and I kissed them because they wanted to. I cannot really say it was wonderful.
I avoid kisses if possible, I do whatever the men want but kissing them is not that esay. I find it simply disgusting.
Not all women need love for having sex you know?
I love to kiss and women have told me that I’m a great kisser!
Kissing is a cultural construction developed with human history.
The fact that not all humans do it, proves against a solely biological cause and any theory that points towards it being a universalistic phenomenon.
If human beings needed to be close to eachother in order to smell pheromones, then one could simply embrace, rub noses, or smell areas of the body that excrete such odours the most – which, are not the lips.
Kissing the lips could have derived from an evolutionarily advantageous act, such as what we see with Chimpanzees: They spend vast quantities of time ‘combing’ eachothers hair – removing dirt, parasites etc. This ‘tradition’ may have been lost in certain groups, and carried on in the majority of others.
The variance we see in kissing: with or without tongues, slow, fast, pecks or ‘smooches’ gives evidence towards the cultural argument in that it is subject to how you are taught. Kissing is not innate, for, as I’m sure all of us will admit, our first kisses tend to be experimentations and quite frankly ‘bad’.
im pretty sure it started with adam & eve ya’ll!!!
im gunna have to disagree with number 5. yes if u really think about it its wierd. but believe it or not kissing actually helps clean one anothers mouths and teeth! look it up. kissing is actually healthy for u in many ways physically and emotionally :)
I like the idea of checking for a suitable mate, sex used to be to reproduce and now it’s for fun as well, maybe kissing was testing out a possible mate and because of how enjoyable it is like sex it’s for fun as well.
Hey it matters if your in love.depends on the person who dosent care about getting bacteria or something.Dont you remember To love each other in sickness and in health it makes kissing sound sweet and affectionate but still its disgusting.=D anyway dont think too much or you will end up into a dark person triying to find the awnser but still could never find it. (no ofense)
While it may have been instinctual at first, it has now become a social expectation in many cultures. We in more developed countries (America, England, Australia, Japan, etc.) see it on television, read it in books and watch other people to do it. We kiss because it feels good, and because it feels good, other people do it, making us want to do it so that we ‘fit in’.
First kiss = Big Deal for a lot of people.
Why?
The media and our society make it seem like an amazing bonding experience which in turn actually makes it a bonding experience.
I say it’s 50% Learned behaviour (Everyone’s doin’ it.) 50% Instinctual/Animal-like Behaviour (Feels good, don’t it?)
So while you silly adults prattle on about this and that, I have it all figured out. ;) lol