Our kissing behavior is the result of how well the monkeys float, say researchers

The researchers published a new study in the trade journal Evolutionary Anthropology and write about the word ‘hypothesis about the last kiss of a groom’. By this they refer to the activity by which great apes, as they have researched, put an end to the flea season. They sometimes do this with a ‘quiet, pursed-lip gesture’. And great apes do this, the researchers write, to remove the remains of parasites.

“It’s a very interesting study,” says Daniel Seesink, a corporate primatologist who specializes in monkey behavior and human behavior, to RTL News. “There are logical reasons to suspect that there is a connection between what monkeys do and do and what we do now.”

Good stuff

Biologists know from this type of study that flies help monkeys establish bonds and determine their hierarchy in the group. “That touch releases oxycotin, a substance that makes us feel good, and which we also release when we rub or touch each other.”

Our kissing behavior can also be partially explained by looking at our ancestors, including bonobos and chimpanzees, but also other great apes.

“They walk on all fours,” said the primatologist. “And that’s why they see each other’s generations very easily and often. When a female monkey gets pregnant, the genitals enlarge and they also add some color to it. these are the sexual organs that are swallowed.”

Pregnant

That is very attractive to the men in the group, because then they know: that woman is pregnant. “One way to welcome men is to uproot those generations.”

And now the bridge to evolution: finally we began to stand upright. So our generations are not so obvious, and besides, at some point we started wearing clothes. “Besides, we no longer have hair everywhere and we can shower, so there is no need for fleas anymore. As a result, people have started looking for another way to connect with each other, to communicate. And that is: the opposite. The mouth. now an erogenous zone. Kissing is one of the first intimate things you do together, clothed.”

Seesink has a caveat. “Researching the behavior of monkeys is very complicated. If you do it in a controlled environment, such as a sanctuary or a laboratory, you might be surprised how natural the behavior is.” monkeys.”

Monkeys hide

“And in the wild, observation is complicated, because monkeys hide and they don’t always stay in the same place. If you come to a conclusion from long-term observations, you might, later on, see the group of monkeys – or a different species of monkeys – again to check your conclusion. possible is an explanation of people’s kissing behavior: you can never be sure.”

The researchers also say that more research needs to be done on ‘flea behavior in large numbers of pens’.

In addition, Seesink also says that we should be careful not to anthropomorphize monkeys too much, which is called anthropomorphism in science. “Maybe they kiss each other just for practical reasons, namely: getting rid of parasites. You should not associate too many human characteristics with animals, even as a scientist. That romantic idea we get when we see monkeys locking lips and pressing, that’s too far-fetched.”

Also watch the video below, which shows a rare species of monkey: