why do people kiss anyway?

Some people say a kiss is the perfect expression of love. But have you ever stopped to wonder why people lock lips in the first place? There are different schools of thought. Allow me to geek out. Some evolutionary biologists say it's a "relic gesture," a link to our animal past, like when a momma bird puts food into a baby bird's mouth. But kissing is not completely universal. In some cultures, it's considered vulgar and even "cannibalistic." Some cultural anthropologists think kissing is something humans invented (like the idea of wearing clothes). They think the first recorded kiss took place in India, about 2,500 years ago, when people began sniffing each other with their mouths. All this science stuff is interesting but it definitely takes the romance out of it — like kissing with your eyes open!

What do you think about the origins of kissing?

xoxo,
mai, research editor