From time immemorial, the kisses have been a gesture of love and affection that human beings use on a daily basis. It may be difficult to remember the first time you gave a hug or shook someone’s hand, however, everyone remembers the moment of their first kiss on the lips.
Kissing is a universally normalized act, since in most parts of the world people express love and sexual attraction with this gesture. From a biological point of view, kisses allow exchange pheromonessubstances that play a fundamental role in attraction. It is also releases oxytocinmostly known as the love hormone. Thanks to this substance, the bond and connection between people is fostered.
Since when do we kiss?
Kisses on the lips have their origins thousands of years ago. The first are documented in the antigua Mesopotamia (present-day Syria and Iraq) since at least 2,500 BC. c.
Specifically, the first kiss in history is recorded in Barton’s Cylindera clay artifact with cuneiform writing that features a mythological text written in Sumerian about 4,500 years ago. In this text, two deities are said to have sexual relations and kiss: “With the goddess Ninhursag, he had sexual relations. He kissed her. He impregnated her womb with the semen of seven twins“.
The evolutionary explanation behind kisses
Despite knowing the biological benefits of kisses, it is not really known very well where these gestures come from. Howevera study from the University of Warwick (United Kingdom), published in the magazine Evolutionary Anthropologyproposes a new hypothesis that relates kisses on the lips with ape grooming practice.
Scientists have looked for answers to this practice in animals, specifically in chimpanzees and bonobos. They have investigated grooming, one of the most important social moments among great primates. This practice serves to eliminate parasites from the companion’s fur, but also to forge and strengthen bonds and maintain the social cohesion of the group.
The study reveals that after grooming, “the groomer would touch the groomer with his protruding lips and suction action to grasp and remove a parasite or debris.”
It is known that humans do not practice grooming, as the need for it has decreased due to evolution. According to the study, as the ancestors lost their fur, grooming was less necessary, to the point that completely disappeared.
However, kissing as a way to strengthen emotional ties has remained until now. This contact of the mouths that served to consolidate social relationships after the hygiene process shows an obvious resemblance to the current human kiss. Therefore, the scientists in this study have determined that “kisses are imbued with an underlying universal biological meaning that crosses cultures, hinting at this evolutionary basis older than cultural conventions themselves.”
In short, kisses have an even more ancient origin than previously thought. They have served for generations to show affection, consolidate interpersonal relationships and strengthen social bonds. Beyond cultural norms, the kiss transcended human evolution.
