Naomi asks "Why do people kiss?"
In a strange way, Naomi, not only do we not know why we kiss, but it is not even clear whether the romantic kiss is a universal gesture or whether it is a learned behavior.
Darwin believed that the kiss was a western invention and that it was not recognized by many native tribes. Since then, anthropologists have found that in many societies that were considered "non-kissing" spouses kiss but are reluctant to report it to nosy researchers. In Japan, it is widely believed that the kiss is a western import, but a text from the Middle Ages that warns men against kissing too wet at the moment of their wives' orgasm for fear of biting the tongue shows that in the land of the rising sun they kissed even before the invasion of Western culture. Anthropologists disagree: it is claimed that the erotic kiss exists in no less than 90% of human friendships, on the other hand A survey of 168 different cultures Find a romantic kiss (prolonged lip contact) in less than half of them. According to this insect, the kiss mainly characterizes cultures where there is a complex class division and is not accepted for example among hunter-gatherers. Another comparative study found A negative correlation between romantic kisses and the degree of historical exposure of that culture to infectious diseases. Sexual kisses have been observed in bonobo monkeys: the species of chimpanzee most reminiscent of humans in its sexual behavior, a finding that strengthens the argument that kissing is a biological characteristic of Homo sapiens.
The initial kiss, common to all human friendships, is that of a mother to her children. This kiss used for calming may have evolved from the transfer of food from the mother's lips to the mouth of a child who has already been weaned from full breastfeeding and has not yet reached the ability to chew independently. Lip contact was therefore a natural candidate to become a gesture of affection and support in other relationships. In chimpanzees, for example, kissing is an expression of reconciliation after an internal conflict has been resolved in the group. In many cultures, kissing in different ways: lips to lips, lips to cheek or nose to nose are used as a meeting greeting, parting or as an expression of commitment and loyalty. The Bible is full of kisses, except for Jacob's kiss with Rachel at the edge of the well. The biblical kisses are exchanged mainly with members of the family in parting ceremonies, meeting or reconciliation, for example, Isaac kisses his son Jacob, Jacob kisses Esau and Joseph, Moses kisses Aaron and Lithro, and David kisses his son Absalom. It is precisely the kiss that seems to us to be the most romantic: that of the groom to his bride belongs to the type of formal kisses and has its historical origins in a type of symbolic hug that marked the signing of a contract in European cultures.
And yet there is something special and mysterious about the lovers' kiss: why has the kiss become a "must stop" on the way to the physical realization of desire? Why is it so common to risk transmitting infectious diseases at the very beginning of a relationship?
There are those who see kissing as a means of testing the fitness of the potential partner. We got to know our partner through sight and hearing, and in a kiss the tactile senses of smell and taste come into action and provide a wealth of information. The lips are covered with thin, hair-free skin under which many nerve endings are responsible for sensations of heat, cold and touch. The trigeminal nerve that activates the jaw muscles sends very dense sensory endings to the mucous tissues of the mouth, pharynx and nose. The brain also devotes relatively many resources to the processing of sensory information from this small surface that is a gateway to the body. What can be learned from this sensory input? The lips are smoothed by the secretion of sebaceous glands, an oily substance that, apart from being a natural lipstick, contains proteins that may indicate a health condition and tissue adaptation. A more juicy kiss will reveal the biochemistry and hygiene of the oral cavity: a kind of laboratory sample that may hint at the partner's genetics and fitness. Since the woman bears the burden of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, she should be selective in choosing the father of her children and should, accordingly, be more interested in examining the partner. Indeed, while most men will be ready for sex without a preliminary kiss, less than one in seven women will agree to it.
Even if the kiss at the beginning of the relationship has meaning in the process of choosing a partner, it is clear that it serves other purposes in couples in which a stable relationship has already been established. A kiss is a means of strengthening the emotional commitment: a kiss between old partners is a gesture of approval and confirmation of the stability of the relationship. The kiss increases the production of the hormone oxytocin, which is also secreted during breastfeeding and is important in establishing attachment and relieving stress and conflict, and lowers the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol. Here the kiss is not exciting, but on the contrary: it activates the parasympathetic system, that is, the calm branch of the nervous system. Researcher Corey Floyd tested the effect of kissing between long-time partners on blood lipids. Since the level of fat and cholesterol is related to mental stress, if the kiss is indeed a means of maintaining stability, its effect will be revealed in the decrease in the level of cholesterol in the blood. Indeed, there was a significant decrease in the cholesterol level in the blood of a group of subjects who were asked to "kiss more" for 6 weeks (along with 3 SMS reminders throughout the period). At the beginning of the movie "A Beautiful Woman" the street prostitute (Julia Roberts) declares that she "does everything" except kisses and this short sentence is the only moment in the movie that approaches realism. The intimate closeness that a kiss creates makes it dangerous for prostitutes who require emotional detachment to maintain their sanity and indeed stubbornly avoid kissing their clients.
A wilder explanation for the kiss enigma is offered by those who see a deep kiss as a kind of natural Viagra that arouses desire. Saliva contains hormones, chiefly testosterone, which, according to this hypothesis, are able to bypass the digestive system and, like alcohol, penetrate through the membranes of the pharynx directly into the bloodstream and stimulate the urge. Reinforcement of this hypothesis is found in an apparent contradiction: although women attach more importance to romantic kisses, men are eager for particularly wet and deep kisses.
The biologist CA Hendrie offers a completely different explanation: according to his method, the risk of contracting viruses is actually the advantage of kissing. There are infectious diseases such as the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) to which it is advisable not to be exposed for the first time during pregnancy. The virus multiplies in the salivary glands and a French kiss is an effective way of infection. The kiss with the person chosen as a candidate for the role of father allows the immune system to recognize the infection before it harms the fetus in the womb.
In recent years, a new type of explanation has appeared according to which kissing is not human-to-human contact but between two ecosystems: the kissers and their bacterial populations. The gut microbiota is known to have an impact on health, but the pharynx, tongue and salivary ducts are also a breeding ground for a diverse population of bacteria. In spouses, similarities are found in the microbiota of the pharynx, and the more they kiss, the greater the similarity between the salivary microbiota. The bacteria and humans are an ecosystem with a long shared evolutionary history and the bacteria have the ability to influence not only digestion but Also on human behavior. It is possible that the solution to the puzzle of the kiss is not in the evolution of man, but of the bacteria living with him, that the kiss is an efficient and convenient means of transportation between hosts.
In other words, Naomi, scientists don't have a definitive answer to the question of why we insist on putting tongues in our loved ones' mouths, but that's no reason to stop.
Thanks to Dr. Colin Hendrie, Dr. Susan Hughes and Dr. Kory Floyd for their help
Did an interesting, intriguing, strange, delusional or funny question occur to you? sent to ysorek@gmail.com
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Ed
They are adjacent because they are both in the same part of the brain the hypothalamus…. This is a very ancient part.
Food for thought: the sex and eating areas of the brain are nearby.
First of all I enjoyed reading
And the gatekeeper who writes actually said he doesn't know in the first lines he wrote, you could stop reading there
It provided interesting and scientific material that combined all kinds of relevant theories and studies, worthy of appreciation
Just close a circuit, connection down and connection up. See bioenergy. Food allowances and sex allowances
These are close to each other. Sometimes freedom from quadruple sin allows you to cancel on prestigious science.
So much text to write
I do not know ?
Proofread please. There are unpleasant spelling mistakes. Nevertheless, you call yourself the scientist... 🙂