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Kissing is a form of bonding and recognizing kin. Apes and birds feed their young by passing on chewed up food mouth to mouth. Sexual kissing could have been a

Kissing is a form of bonding and recognizing kin. Apes and birds feed their young by passing on chewed up food mouth to mouth. Sexual kissing could have been a way that was passed down from gestures that were used to recognize those who aren’t kin. The term for it is relic gesture. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/science-of-kissing-why-a-kiss-is-not-just-a-kiss-1.3380704 https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/scie... [..] What are the origins of kissing? In early human societies, it is believed mothers weaned their babies by chewing up their food and then passing it to their babies by lip-to-lip contact. Evolutionary biologists suggest that erotic kissing is a so-called relic gesture, passed down through cultures from these early practices of the mother’s deep kissing and the infant’s searching tongue movements. “If young lovers exploring each other’s mouths with their tongues feel the ancient comfort of parental mouth feeding, this may help them to increase their mutual trust and thereby their pair-bonding,” writes Desmond Morris in his classic book on human behaviour, Manwatching.[..] Desmond Morris’ Manwatching is an excellent read.

1000units 7y ago
Bonding? Recognizing kin? Hie to the city and schlep. Dispose of your old relics, modern man.
badrabbit 7y ago
Or...someone tried it and enjoyed it and then spread the practice? I highly doubt kissing in humans has anythig to do with exchanging chewed food or something much deeper than an enjoyable experience like hugging or cuddling.
- jelliclesfarm 7y ago
  I think you misunderstood the definition of ‘human universal’. Steven pinker’s Blank Slate has a list of human universals that are hard wired human habits irrespective of culture/age/gender/geography etc
  - g82918 7y ago
    The phrase occured only in the title and article and not in the comment they were responding too. It is possible they did not fully read the article(Most skim or read the title or title and abstract). In which case your response wasn't super helpful.
- EpicEng 7y ago
  >I highly doubt kissing in humans has anythig to do with exchanging chewed food or something much deeper than an enjoyable experience like hugging or cuddling. Based on... what exactly? Have you spent significant time studying ancient cultures in this regard? By what process did you rule out other explanations? Why, precisely, do you people enjoy it? What does it mean, physically, to enjoy something? This oversimplified brand of logic is what led people to believe that the sun travels around the earth. Often times things aren't as simple as they seem. Good thing some people decided to take a closer look at what seemed obvious to everyone else.
  - g82918 7y ago
    Not that I have studied this particular behavior, but evolutionary type theories like this one, tend to be found wanting after later research. For a more common example, look at the paleo diet. At a glance, the theory seems a bit bonkers if you consider natural feelings around kissing you may have had around puberty. I would imagine there might be a better explanation than some nuturing/feeding urge. Edit: Not to be that dude, but for the downvote, explaining better how/why this feeding explanation makes sense would be nice. I thought my comment advanced the conversation somewhat.
  - badrabbit 7y ago
    Ok, people enjoy it because it makes them feel intimate with each other,the act of intimacy arouses sexual desire. Is that enough or is the studying ancient cultures part mandatory? The oversimplified brand of logic is just you generalizig my disagreement to support your brand of over analysis. Please, take as much closer look as you want but do look at the whole picture,not just the booky part. Ask yourself why you enjoy it first,ask why others enjoy it and start there and stop when you have enough to adequately explain it. I stand by my statement, a psychological need for intimacy is the root of the desire. It could be licking each others ear lobes or something that would now sound weird, the act is merely an expression of intimacy which is to know and to be known. I would even say your conclusion can be viewed as an "oversimplified brand of logic" as you put it since you are not explaining why feeding chewed food is tied to sexual expression of affection and why it is prevalent strictly in a sexual relationship and why parents don't make out with children or between close friends and siblings,when adopted why did it become sexual? And to be clear a peck on the surface is not what we are talking about here since that is not exclusive to lips (forehead,etc...)

1000units 7y ago

Bonding? Recognizing kin? Hie to the city and schlep. Dispose of your old relics, modern man.

badrabbit 7y ago

Or...someone tried it and enjoyed it and then spread the practice? I highly doubt kissing in humans has anythig to do with exchanging chewed food or something much deeper than an enjoyable experience like hugging or cuddling.

jelliclesfarm 7y ago
I think you misunderstood the definition of ‘human universal’. Steven pinker’s Blank Slate has a list of human universals that are hard wired human habits irrespective of culture/age/gender/geography etc
- g82918 7y ago
  The phrase occured only in the title and article and not in the comment they were responding too. It is possible they did not fully read the article(Most skim or read the title or title and abstract). In which case your response wasn't super helpful.
EpicEng 7y ago
>I highly doubt kissing in humans has anythig to do with exchanging chewed food or something much deeper than an enjoyable experience like hugging or cuddling. Based on... what exactly? Have you spent significant time studying ancient cultures in this regard? By what process did you rule out other explanations? Why, precisely, do you people enjoy it? What does it mean, physically, to enjoy something? This oversimplified brand of logic is what led people to believe that the sun travels around the earth. Often times things aren't as simple as they seem. Good thing some people decided to take a closer look at what seemed obvious to everyone else.
- g82918 7y ago
  Not that I have studied this particular behavior, but evolutionary type theories like this one, tend to be found wanting after later research. For a more common example, look at the paleo diet. At a glance, the theory seems a bit bonkers if you consider natural feelings around kissing you may have had around puberty. I would imagine there might be a better explanation than some nuturing/feeding urge. Edit: Not to be that dude, but for the downvote, explaining better how/why this feeding explanation makes sense would be nice. I thought my comment advanced the conversation somewhat.
- badrabbit 7y ago
  Ok, people enjoy it because it makes them feel intimate with each other,the act of intimacy arouses sexual desire. Is that enough or is the studying ancient cultures part mandatory? The oversimplified brand of logic is just you generalizig my disagreement to support your brand of over analysis. Please, take as much closer look as you want but do look at the whole picture,not just the booky part. Ask yourself why you enjoy it first,ask why others enjoy it and start there and stop when you have enough to adequately explain it. I stand by my statement, a psychological need for intimacy is the root of the desire. It could be licking each others ear lobes or something that would now sound weird, the act is merely an expression of intimacy which is to know and to be known. I would even say your conclusion can be viewed as an "oversimplified brand of logic" as you put it since you are not explaining why feeding chewed food is tied to sexual expression of affection and why it is prevalent strictly in a sexual relationship and why parents don't make out with children or between close friends and siblings,when adopted why did it become sexual? And to be clear a peck on the surface is not what we are talking about here since that is not exclusive to lips (forehead,etc...)