What Are Kisses Good For? Why Do We Like Them So Much?
It is well known that the vast majority of human beings kiss, have kissed or will kiss someone at some point in their lives. These curious rituals are surprising for how much they occur and for the many meanings they can hold. There are kisses that serve to reconcile, but they can also denote affection, attraction or even courtesy.
However, none of this changes the fact that kissing, by itself, seems like a pretty absurd act. Why does it seem so natural for us to approach another person and touch them with our lips? What are kisses good for?
What are kisses good for? What is its real usefulness?
Finding an answer to this requires, first of all, dig into our past, see what this custom is based on. Some evolutionary psychologists believe that kissing is an act to which we are genetically predisposed and whose usefulness is basic in the perpetuation of the species. Therefore, asking what kisses are for is also asking about the way in which they have helped us survive.
About this, many researchers have pointed out the importance of kisses in solving two basic problems: find a partner and strengthen ties with other people.
A wise choice when searching for a partner
The first of these functions has to do with our unconscious sensitivity to analyze chemical signals that come from the body of the potential partner. Smell plays part of the role in this task, but the sense of taste also serves something similar.
Detecting chemical patterns in the other person’s saliva is useful when it comes to knowing the general state of their body, their hormonal levels and the characteristics of the immune system. Definitely, Kisses are a way to indirectly know the state of health of whoever has approached us, knowing to what extent their immune system complements ours, and from there unconsciously deciding if they can be a good breeding partner.
Strengthening ties
The second function is the easiest to digest, because most kisses can be understood as a protocol to strengthen ties with someone. However, this process has an unconscious aspect that goes beyond the symbolic load associated with this custom. It has been observed that kisses produce an increase in the secretion of oxytocin and endorphins, substances associated with the creation of emotional bonds and the elimination of tension.
In addition, the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which are associated with falling in love and addiction, are also triggered during the kiss, which, if we add the previous cocktail of hormones, can contribute to what is known as romantic love. The person with whom the kiss was shared suddenly becomes something more important.
If we add to this the fact that the kiss could be useful in choosing a partner, it seems evident that its functions are focused on reproduction and the breeding
Our species could be predisposed towards kisses on the mouth due to its evolutionary legacy, since these have also been observed in other animals (bonobos, for example). Culture however, would have been creating varieties of kisses and modeling the way in which they are presented, appearing alternatives to the kiss on the mouth that, however, are perhaps variants indebted to the latter type.
Clearly, no one decides to kiss someone to obtain information about that person, or even to strengthen ties with them. The kisses are there because we like them Evolution has meant that the main usefulness of these practices, which is located in the long term, is masked by a short-term objective: obtaining pleasure.
This pleasure is based on the large amount of sensory neurons found on the tongue and lips. These areas show one of the highest cell densities of this type, and are therefore extremely sensitive to potentially pleasurable stimuli.
So, A few seconds of kissing generate an important torrent of information that goes directly to the brain, which is why a large part of the mental processes begin to revolve around that experience. It is then that the substances we have named begin to be secreted en masse and the neurotransmitters related to pleasure and falling in love take center stage. Hence, a good kiss can make you lose track of time: the whole body is paying close attention to what is happening in this interaction.
NOTE: If you want to know more about what kisses are for, you may be interested in the book The Science of Kissing.
