It turns out that not in all cultural communities lovers kiss on the lips! Scientists have come to such an unromantic conclusion after studying global trends.
It used to be that kissing was accepted in 90% of the cultural communities of the world. However, researcher Justin Garcia (Justin Garcia) from the Kinsey Institute of Indiana University (USA) together with colleagues decided to test the validity of these theories. To do this, they used data from 168 cultures.
Using the methods of cross-cultural analysis, scientists found that romantic or erotic kissing on the lips was practiced in less than half of the societies studied—specifically, only 46% of them. They are most common in the Middle East (they were practiced by all 10 cultures studied). In North America, kissing was accepted in 55% of cultures, in Europe – in 70%, in Asia – in 73%. At the same time, no evidence was found that kisses were accepted in Central America, the tribes of Africa, the Amazon and New Guinea. Interestingly, among the peoples and tribes of the Far North (both in Asia and North America), kisses, on the contrary, are very common.
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At the same time, a general pattern was discovered – the more complex the society is and the more pronounced social stratification, the more likely it is that kissing is customary in this society.
The history of the evolution of the erotic kiss is not completely clear. Similar behavior is found in some species of animals – for example, chimpanzees sometimes “kiss” with their mouths open. It is possible that when lips touch, we unconsciously evaluate the health of a potential partner through taste sensations and smell – this probably helps to understand how biologically compatible we are with this person.
“We initially assumed that kissing is not accepted in all cultures and seems strange or even unpleasant to some, but we were surprised that in most cultures they are not accepted at all. Kissing most likely has a biological basis, as a lot of saliva and pheromones are exchanged, but a lot of pathogenic microbes can also be transmitted through a kiss – which is especially dangerous in societies with poor oral hygiene in people, ”says Justin Garcia.
Подробнее см. W. Jankowiak et al. «Is the romantic-sexual kiss a near human universal?», American Anthropologist, July 2015.