Why do humans kiss

According to anthropologists the majority of the world (roughly 90%) are avid kissers, bringing this action into their social interactions with other human beings on a regular basis (either in an intimate fashion or even as a way of greeting in some cultures). For the other 10%, however, kissing is simply not considered a part of life, and the very act is as foreign to them as bowing to your boss may be in a European organization.

While many scientists over the years have studies the human act of kissing in an attempt to unravel its mysteries and answer the question of “why do we do it” the fact still remains that no one conclusion has been able to be drawn on this fact, though a number of theories have arisen to help explain why we do it.

One of the primary theories considered by many anthropologists to be one of the driving factors behind human kissing is that it is a learned behavor that stems back thousands of years to ancient days. At that time they believe that mothers may have assisted their children with chewing food for them before they had fully developed their own set of teeth and then passed on the food from mouth to mouth in order to assist with development. then, once the child’s teeth developed they would continue kissing the cheeks in order to provide comfort for a teething toddler.

Another argument is that kissing is a natural occurrence rather than a simple learned behavior, with some animals (such as bonobos) using kissing as a way to resolve differences between groups, develop social bonds and establish connections. Other animals also rub noses to make facial contact normal between them.

A final theory is that kissing is a natural development to appease our own biological needs in assessing the viability of a mate. By bringing our faces close to each other we are better able to assess subconsciously the pheromones produced by whomever we may be kissing to determine whether their body has specific DNA markers in their immune system that we may be lacking – a natural reaction designed to assist mates in producing the healthiest offspring possible. Additionally our tongues are coated in highly sensitive receptors that allow us to enhance our body’s chemical reaction generated by our proximity to an appealing mate – something that 90% of the world tends to agree is a very worthwhile experience.

According to anthropologists the majority of the world (roughly 90%) are avid kissers, bringing this action into their social interactions with other human beings on a regular basis (either in an intimate fashion or even as a way of greeting in some cultures). For the other 10%, however, kissing is simply not considered a part of life, and the very act is as foreign to them as bowing to your boss may be in a European organization.

While many scientists over the years have studies the human act of kissing in an attempt to unravel its mysteries and answer the question of “why do we do it” the fact still remains that no one conclusion has been able to be drawn on this fact, though a number of theories have arisen to help explain why we do it.

One of the primary theories considered by many anthropologists to be one of the driving factors behind human kissing is that it is a learned behavor that stems back thousands of years to ancient days. At that time they believe that mothers may have assisted their children with chewing food for them before they had fully developed their own set of teeth and then passed on the food from mouth to mouth in order to assist with development. then, once the child’s teeth developed they would continue kissing the cheeks in order to provide comfort for a teething toddler.

Another argument is that kissing is a natural occurrence rather than a simple learned behavior, with some animals (such as bonobos) using kissing as a way to resolve differences between groups, develop social bonds and establish connections. Other animals also rub noses to make facial contact normal between them.

A final theory is that kissing is a natural development to appease our own biological needs in assessing the viability of a mate. By bringing our faces close to each other we are better able to assess subconsciously the pheromones produced by whomever we may be kissing to determine whether their body has specific DNA markers in their immune system that we may be lacking – a natural reaction designed to assist mates in producing the healthiest offspring possible. Additionally our tongues are coated in highly sensitive receptors that allow us to enhance our body’s chemical reaction generated by our proximity to an appealing mate – something that 90% of the world tends to agree is a very worthwhile experience.