Why do humans kiss?

Question

I know the obvious reasons like it feels good, helps you feel closer to the object of your affections etc. But is it an instinct? It seems to come naturally, yet through evolution does it have any particular use as such (we instinctively know to 'mate' but this has enabled our species to continue, kissing seems extraneous)?

Answer 1

Parents kiss their kids, aunts kiss their nieces, grandparents kiss their grandkids. And yes, boyfriends kiss their girlfriends. These are all expressions of love and tenderness. Your mouth and lips are where all of your thoughts and emotions come from, and to press them against another person is an ultimate form of communication.

Don't think that every kiss has to be an ultimate passion lip-locking extravaganza. Those types of kisses are about lust and power. The best kisses are the soft, tender ones - the ones that say "I am here, I love you and care about you."

For that true partner in your life, a soft kiss hello when you meet, and goodbye when you part, are great ways to make those times full of tenderness.

If you really want to start to try different kiss styles, read about Types of Kissing. But the best way to learn about kissing is simply to do it and see what you enjoy. Every human on the earth likes a different kiss style. Play with kissing and see what appeals to you.

Why do human kiss? Because that's what you & my Maker created us for. it is one of the ultimate way of showing our affection, deep love, respect & character to others.
it's a way of communicating without saying any words that will tell the other person how you really feel.
Again, why do human kiss? because our parents teach us to kiss, from very moment that we we're born, the next thing our parents teach us & wants us to learn aside from mentioning their names (Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Mama, Itay, Inay, Ma, Pa, Father, Mother, etc.) is too kiss them.
it shows that their Maker also teach them. way back from Adam & Eve(",)

Answer 2

I have read that kissing probably came about at the same time as face-to-face sex. The only other animal that has face-to-face sex is the bonobo which is our very close relative - in my opinion, a closer relative than chimpanzees. Bonobos also kiss each other.

So,,,, kissing probably started 3-5 million years ago and is an ancestoral habit or insinct, if you wish.

Answer 3

Funny enough, the kissing started in Rome because women were not allowed to drink wine. For man it was a simple solution to find out if a woman consumed alcohol or not.
From there onwards, kissing becomes a way to show love.

Answer 4

I guess it just comes to our nature. I guess this may probably be one of those wonder things of the world. In my opinion though, I reckon it relies on our instinct I mean touching lips to your lover just seems like the right thing to do. And yeah your right it makes you feel good.

Answer 5

yes...i think it started as an etquette or a mannerism to express love and it turned out be successful. Licking is something done by aniamls to their kinds or partners. Probably kissing is a modified form.

Answer 6

To touch or caress with the lips as an expression of affection, greeting, respect, or amorousness.

To kiss — to make contact with the lips — is often a sign of friendship or affection. In this respect it is seen as a Western gesture of intimacy and is not, therefore, observed in all cultures.

The target of the kiss is not of course restricted to the mouth and can be directed to any part of the body, with varying pressure. There are different types of kissing behaviour, such as mouth-to-mouth, French kissing, and cunnilingus. The ‘French kiss’ is a type of sexual arousal in which two people kiss with their mouths open so that the tongues can touch. This is sometimes also called ‘soul kiss’ or ‘tongue kiss’. Cunnilingus is another type of sexual kissing whereby a person stimulates the external female genital organs (vulva, clitoris) with the mouth or tongue. The word ‘cunnilingus’ is derived from the Latin cunnus meaning ‘vulva, vagina’, and lingua meaning ‘tongue’ (or lingere ‘to lick up’).

The use of the kiss can also be seen as a religio-erotic symbol in the West. One of the most famous of all kisses was the kiss of betrayal: Judas' kiss. In the Christian tradition, Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss and in doing so brought death and treachery to an act that was associated with peace and unity. St Augustine later warns against the misuse of the physical kiss, especially if the heart is full of deceit and dishonesty. That Judas betrayed his master with a kiss was accounted by Christians as a betrayal of the kiss itself as well as of the Lord. In the early Christian centuries the kiss was a mystic symbol imbued with powerful feelings such as peace, union, and love. As Nicolas Perella states in The Kiss Sacred and Profane (1969): ‘The repeated use of this formula and the contexts in which it occurs suggests that the kiss was quickly institutionalized in the young Christian community as a mystic symbol both in liturgical and non-liturgical ceremony’.

In the early centuries it was the practice of Christian iconography to borrow motifs from well-established pagan myths; especially in the case of sarcophagi designs. Among the motifs applicable in this way were those connected with the myth of Psyche and Eros; one of the most favoured by the Christians of Rome was the image that showed a pair embracing and kissing. Psyche — the human soul of the departed, and Eros — always a powerful god of love. Nicolas Perella suggests that this was acceptable to the Christians because it could well depict a wedding union in heaven. It is Eros who bestows the kiss, with all the suggestion that he is infusing the spirit of new life into Psyche. Thus the adoption of the ‘kissing couple’ is understandable.

The kiss of life and the kiss of death, are the extreme life forces which have become powerful symbols for writers and artists. The breath or spirit of God has always been seen as a life-giving act, and the Holy Spirit can be given in the form of a kiss. For example, the Virgin Mary was kissed by the Holy Spirit so that she might become impregnated. The iconography of a kiss often portrays both ecstasy and death simultaneously. The kiss of death is at its most obvious when we see Judas kiss Jesus; this is both a physical and metaphorical manifestation, which results in a corporeal death.

By the sixteenth century, authors were using the kiss and death as sexual metaphors. The kiss, both given and stolen, is romanticized in poetry and prose. The traditional medieval motif, for example, of the poet seeking solace from his lovesickness is disguised in the wantoness of his lover's kisses. The poet was often chaste where his love and kisses were concerned; the Metaphysical poets, in particular, wrote of the constant turmoil where sexual and platonic love were concerned.

Another method of inviting a kiss, though not necessarily of giving one, can be found in the ‘language of the fan’ in the eighteenth century. Though used as a form of concealment, the fan, when pressed to the lips, indicated the anticipation of a kiss. The pressure of the fan on the mouth would often indicate the level of sincerity and passion involved.

A number of modern-day artists and writers have used kissing as a powerful and symbolic form of friendship, intimacy, and sexual activity. The well-known Parisian artist Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), for example, immortalized a man and a woman coming together in this way when he produced a life-size sculpture in marble, entitled The Kiss, in 1886. By contrast, in 1897 the French anthropologist Paul d'Enjoy remarked on the horror of the Chinese at seeing mouth-to-mouth kissing by Westerners.

Another way of using the kiss as a dramatic and controlling device can be seen as a power play between the two sexes, especially in the guise of fairytales. Twentieth-century notions of the male as hero, waking up and resuscitating the ‘sleeping’ female with his kiss have been challenged by feminist writers such as Simone de Beauvoir. Myths of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Snow White’, and ‘Cinderella’ that are handed down from generation to generation, usually to girls, depicting the all-embracing kiss, are being re-assessed in the wake of feminist theory.

etc---
“Your heart is pumping, your pulse is racing..."If kissing is exciting, you release adrenaline into the bloodstream and your heart pumps more blood around your body,” says Dr. Susan Hotchkies. "It's a great cardiovascular workout."
helps you lose weight.-- just how long can you do that? You need use 3000 calories to lose one pound, i.e., 30,000 minutes, 500 hours... "A long kiss makes the metabolism burn up sugar faster than usual," says Claire Potter. "The calories burned depend on the intensity, but you can rely on 10 calories for every 10 minutes."

It slows the aging process. (That's important! ) "Kissing helps to tone your cheek and jaw muscles, so they're less likely to sag," says Cosmo's Fitness Consultant, Claire Potter.

Answer 7

Man learn't long ago that it was the only way to keep a woman quiet ;-)

Answer 8

If you read your question back, you will see you have already answered it yourself!!

Answer 9

yes..its already an instinct...well..we can't help..

Answer 10

to find out if your genes are different enough to mate and if you're healthy.