9 interesting facts about kissing
What do you know about kissing?
1. Origin of the word
The English "kiss" (to kiss) comes from the ancient English word "cyssan", which literally means "to kiss". No one can say exactly where the word "cyssan" came from, but it is generally believed that it described the sound that occurs when kissing.
The Romans had several words for different types of kiss. A kiss on the hand or cheek was called basium, a kiss with closed lips was called osculum, and a passionate kiss was called saviolum.
Meanwhile, the Greeks did not have words for kissing directly, but they had several names for love. "Philia" - committed love: the love you have for family or friends. More passionate love was called "eros". However, Plato once established that the word "eros" can also be used to describe attraction to a person's outward beauty. He also argued that true love does not have to be based on people's physical attractiveness.
Finally, the Greeks used the word "agape" to describe the strongest and most beautiful feeling of love of all, that feeling of being loved no matter what. This is the kind of love that can only be felt for your family members and closest friends.
2. 10% of the population of our Earth does not kiss
Approximately 18 million years old, Mangaia Island is the oldest island in the Pacific Ocean. For all the time of its existence, its inhabitants have never heard of kissing, until the British introduced them to this pleasant pastime in the 18th century.
Today, 90% of cultures around the world kiss. The remaining 10% do not do this for various reasons. For example, in some areas of the Republic of Sudan, people refuse to kiss because they believe that the mouth is the way to the soul. And they are afraid that during the kiss their soul might be stolen.
As for the famous Eskimo kiss, when people touch each other with their noses, and not their lips, the reason for its occurrence was not the fear of freezing their lips to their partner, as some believe. It's all about extremely low temperatures, which allow you to leave open only the eyes and nose. Thus, the Eskimos were forced to invent their own method of expressing sympathy. Today, the Eskimo kiss is one of the most popular "not kisses" in the world, that is, kisses that are not kisses in the traditional sense of the word.
3. How kissing spread around the world
Scientists don't know exactly how people started kissing. They are not even sure if this is an innate or acquired form of behavior. Adherents that kissing is an acquired form of behavior believe that it all started from the time when mothers chewed food before putting it in their child's mouth, as birds do.
The first mention of the kiss as a romantic gesture was found in the poetry of the Sumerian civilization, the oldest civilization in the world. The "procedure" of kissing was also described in the ancient love poetry of Egypt. And even the Book of Genesis describes how Jacob kisses his wife Rachel. Historians believe that the kiss began to spread when Alexander the Great took over India, where kissing had been commonplace for centuries. Kissing has been described in the Vedic scriptures as "touching the lips", which is also a fitting description of it. Then Alexander introduced the art of kissing to the Western world, and since then we have not stopped kissing.
4. Many animals kiss too
They may not do it quite like we do, but some animals express their sympathy with actions that resemble our kisses. Many chimpanzees exhibit this behavior after a fight as a way to make peace. According to research, this pattern of behavior is observed not only in chimpanzees. Many other primates "kiss" in their own way.
However, “kissing” is not unique to primates. Meerkats, for example, sniff and lick each other's scent glands to highlight the alpha male and subordinates. This is especially important when the meerkats return to their clan, because the initial reason for their departure is most often the expulsion of the alpha female.
We cannot fail to mention elephants, because they are one of the most intelligent and emotional creatures in the world. In difficult times, such as the death of a herd member, elephants put their trunks in each other's mouths as a sign of comfort and support.
5. Kissing is good for health
Some studies have shown that kissing is not only very pleasant, but also useful. While most bacteria in humans are identical, 20 percent of the bacteria in each individual is different. This means that every kiss helps to strengthen the immune system.
Of course, none of the above will benefit you if you kiss a person who is sick. Diseases such as herpes, the common cold, and even meningitis are transmitted through kissing. However, such cases are rare and scientists agree that kissing has more advantages than disadvantages.
6. The Science of Kissing
Philematology is the science of kissing. Scientists who study this discipline, as a rule, concentrate not only on the biological characteristics of the human kiss and hormones, but also wonder why we still kiss.
It is believed that the first kiss makes a strong impression, but, according to scientists, that's not all. They believe that at the level of sensations, a kiss transmits to us signals in the form of taste, sound and smell, which cause a desire to repeat the kiss. But if the kiss was not very good, then we get a signal to avoid another kiss. Studies have shown that in 59 percent of men and 66 percent of women, sympathy for a partner decreased after the first kiss.
7. World records for kissing
Today, the world record for the longest kiss is held by Ekkachai and Laxana Tiranarat from Thailand. It was installed in 2013 at the "Ripley`s Believe It Or Not" event, when the couple kissed for 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds.
They beat the previous record set by Andrea Sarti and Anna Chen. In 2004, Sarti and Chen kissed for 31 hours and 18 minutes. They only stopped because they almost fainted. The story ended well, and Sarti spent the $12,700 prize on his wedding to his sweetheart, Anna Chen.
But even if you do not take records into account, the amount of time that the average person devotes to kissing cannot but surprise. Studies have shown that the average person kisses for two weeks in their entire life. Many people burn about 1560 calories for every hour of kissing. This means that a person loses 30,240 calories in his life. Of course, this "sport" is not as effective as running or swimming (in fact, it is not even close, so you should not justify eating a double cheeseburger with several lots of diligent kisses). But it's definitely much more interesting.
8. Kissing starts real chemical processes.
As it turns out, the assumption that a good dose of “chemistry” is necessary for a successful relationship is not so banal. Studies have shown that kissing actually releases the chemical dopamine. It is a strong hormone that affects the same parts of the brain as cocaine and can cause very strong, even passionate desire. It is also accompanied by symptoms such as lack of sleep, decreased appetite, and increased energy.
Some scientists believe that dopamine also causes cheating. Getting used to a partner, our body produces less and less dopamine. In order to experience this hormonal pleasure again, some people go so far as to look for it on the side.
But kissing a person with whom you have been together for a long time contributes to the production of oxytocin, which causes very strong feelings of calm and relaxation. Scholars also emphasize the importance of regular kissing for couples in love. Indeed, thanks to this, oxytocin will constantly enter the bloodstream, creating a feeling of happiness.
9 Anti-Kissing Countries
It sounds funny, but in 2014 there are still countries where public expression of sympathy is against the law. In Mexico, university professor Manuel Berumen was arrested for kissing his wife in public. And in some countries the punishments are very severe. In 2010, a man was arrested in Saudi Arabia for hugging and kissing a woman. He was found guilty and sentenced to 3 series of lashes, 30 times each, and 4 months in prison.
By the way, the fear of kissing has a scientific name "philemaphobia".