Kiss

Lore & Background

Anthropologists disagree on whether kissing is an instinctual or learned behaviour. Those who believe kissing to be an instinctual behaviour cite similar behaviours in other animals such as bonobos, which are known to kiss after fighting - possibly to restore peace. Others believe that it is a learned behaviour, having evolved from activities such as suckling or premastication in early human cultures passed on to modern humans. The fact that not all human cultures kiss is used as an argument against kissing being an instinctual behaviour in humans; only around 90% of the human population is believed to practice kissing. The earliest reference to kissing-like behavior comes from the Vedas, Sanskrit scriptures that informed Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, around 3,500 years ago, according to Vaughn Bryant, an anthropologist at Texas A&M University who specialized in the history of the kiss. However, recent studies challenge the belief that kissing originated in South Asia around 1500 BCE, arguing that there is no single point of origin in historical times. Figurines have been found that indicate kissing may have been practiced in prehistory. It has been suggested that Neandertals and humans kissed. Evidence from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt suggests that kissing was documented as early as 2500 BCE. Kissing was present in both romantic and familial contexts in ancient Mesopotamia, but it was subject to social regulation, and public display of the sexual aspect of kissing was discouraged. Kissing also had a role in rituals. The act of kissing may have unintentionally facilitated the transmission of orally transmitted microorganisms, potentially leading to disease. Advances in ancient DNA extraction have revealed pathogen genomes in human remains, including those transmitted through saliva. The shift in dominant lineages of the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) during the Bronze Age implies that cultural practices like romantic-sexual kissing could have contributed to its transmission. Ancient Mesopotamian medical texts mention a disease called bu'shanu, which may have been related to HSV-1 infection. While kissing itself was not directly associated with disease transmission in Mesopotamia, certain cultural and religious factors governed its practice. Both lip and tongue kissing are mentioned in Sumerian poetry. Kissing is described in the surviving ancient Egypti

In Their Own Story

The arena hummed with a low, electric murmur. Ten thousand phones glowed like fireflies in the dark. Then the house lights died, and a single strobe cut through the haze.

A beat dropped—tight, mechanical, insistent. Prince appeared at the center of the stage, arms loose at his sides, hips swinging in that unhurried, gravity-defying walk. He didn't sing yet. He just walked. The crowd leaned forward as one organism.

Then the voice: *na na na na na na na*—and the whole arena exhaled, swayed, caught the rhythm in their chests. He leaned toward a girl in the front row, lips parted, eyes locked, and pulled back. Leaned in again. Pulled back. The beat kept time like a heartbeat.

Midway through the second chorus he launched into a backflip, landed in a crouch, and pointed at the crowd as if daring them to keep up. They did. They always did.

The last "na" hung in the air, unresolved, a kiss suspended forever between two people who will never quite touch. The lights came up. The silence lasted three seconds. Then the roar.

Reader's Guide

The Romans had several words for kissing. Kissing the hand or cheek was called an osculum. Kissing on the lips with mouth closed was called a basium, which was used between relatives. A kiss of passion was called a suavium. The English word kiss comes from Old English cyssan ('to kiss'), in turn from coss ('a kiss'). Kristoffer Nyrop identified a number of types of kisses, including kisses of love, affection, peace, respect, and friendship. He notes, however, that the categories are somewhat contrived and overlapping, and some cultures have more kinds, including the French with twenty and the Germans with thirty. Kissing another person's lips has become a common expression of affection or warm greeting in many cultures worldwide. Yet in certain cultures, kissing was introduced only through European settlement, before which it was not a routine occurrence. Such cultures include certain indigenous peoples of Australia, the Tahitians, and many tribes in Africa. A kiss can also be used to express feelings without an erotic element but can be nonetheless 'far deeper and more lasting', writes Nyrop. He adds that such kisses can be expression of love 'in the widest and most comprehensive meaning of the word, bringing a message of loyal affection, gratitude, compassion, sympathy, intense joy, and profound sorrow.' Nyrop writes that the most common example is the 'intense feeling which knits parents to their offspring', but he adds that kisses of affection are not only common between parents and children, but also between other members of the same family, which can include those outside the immediate family circle, 'everywhere where deep affection unites people.' The tradition is written of in the Bible, as when Esau met Jacob after a long separation, he ran towards him, fell on his neck, and kissed him (Genesis 33:4), Moses greeted his father-in-law and kissed him (Exodus 18:7), and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law before leaving her (Ruth 1:14). The family kiss was traditional with the Romans and kisses of affection are often mentioned by the early Greeks, as when Odysseus, on reaching his home, meets his faithful shepherds. Affection can be a cause of kissing 'in all ages in grave and solemn moments,' notes Nyrop, 'not only among those who love each other, but also as an expression of profound gratitude. When the Apostle Paul took leave of the elders of the congrega

Did You Know?

• Anthropologists disagree on whether kissing is an instinctual or learned behaviour.
• Only around 90% of the human population is believed to practice kissing.
• The earliest reference to kissing-like behavior comes from the Vedas, around 3,500 years ago.
• Evidence from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt suggests kissing was documented as early as 2500 BCE.
• The study of kissing is called philematology.