Why do we kiss? Science has an answer that leads us to evolution

What is the kiss? Why do we kiss? Research from the University of Warwick, in United Kingdomhas shed new light on the origin of this quite common practice among humans, which is carried out in different countries and cultures, with different meanings.

And today it can be related to love, passion or affection towards someone. It can even have a meaning depending on the way the kiss is given.

A National Geographic report points out that the ancient Romans kissed depending on the degree of relationship. Nowadays, in some European countries people greet with two kisses on the cheeks, as part of a social consensus. However, people remember the first kiss, but not the first time they said hello. That’s how meaningful a kiss can be.

Everything mentioned revolves around the cultural field. The research published in the journal Evolutionary Anthropology takes us to the biological realm, and its hypothesis relates kissing to the practice of grooming among apes.

“Kisses are imbued with an underlying universal biological meaning that crosses cultures, hinting at an evolutionary basis older than cultural conventions themselves,” the study indicates.

The research answer lies in the animal kingdom, in the evolutionary origin of man, in primates. The study finds in grooming an ancestral practice that not only serves to rid the coat of parasites, but also to forge and reinforce social bonds. According to the study, grooming involves an individual who cleans with protuberant lips. “It sucked the action to grab hold and eliminate a parasite or debris,” they indicate.

With evolution, the fur disappeared but the practice of contact with the mouth did not. On the contrary, it took on new meanings.