The kiss, symbol of love, has been anchored in practices since the dawn of time. This gesture has followed civilizations and societies, to mark intimacy and connections, often in a manner regulated by cultural conventions. However, according to The Independent, a new study published on October 17, 2024 by Adriano Lameira, researcher from the University of Warwick (United Kingdom), affirms that kissing mainly comes from the grooming and care methods observed in our cousin ancestors : the great apes.
According to Warwick’s research team, Mesopotamia was one of the first known places where kissing was a “well-established practice”, 4,500 years ago. Thousands of clay tablets were found between the Tigris and the Euphrates, that is to say in what is now Iraq and Syria. The objects, belonging to the first human civilizations, reveal that at the time, kissing was already considered an intimate gesture.
However, the question of why our species began communicating affection in this way remains a matter of debate. One theory suggests that kissing has its origins in parental behaviors, such as pre-chewing. Another theory insinuates that the kiss may have been a sort of compatibility test: partners had to “taste” each other orally to determine if they were healthy.
The great apes, kings of the toilet
In the new study, scientists conducted a comprehensive review of the theories surrounding kissing, to finally put an explanation behind this intimate gesture of humans. In addition to theories relating to our species, research has looked into the animal world to examine behaviors similar to kissing in form and function.
Thus, researchers have noticed that, in great apes, the final bouquet of grooming involves contact between…
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