Why do we kiss? ‘I am not sure we have anything close to an explanation’
One new theory has been added to the mix about why many – but not all – humans lock lips in love
We do it sitting in a tree, under the mistletoe, at midnight to ring in the new year. In fairytales, the act transforms frogs into princes and awakens heroines from enchanted slumber. We make up with it, seal with it, and – in Romeo Montague’s case at least – die with it.
Such is the supremacy of the kiss in our culture that we’ve extended the term to describe actions that don’t even involve lip contact – butterfly kisses, say, or the “Eskimo kiss”, a nose rub better known in Inuit culture as kunik. A similar Māori greeting, known as hongi, involves pressing noses together.
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