Kissing - Why do we do it?

Imagine curling up on a soft rug in front of a cracking fire with your partner. There's nothing more natural than to have warm kiss and cuddle, is there? But have you ever wondered why we kiss each other? Whether it's a quick peck on the cheek of a friend, or a deep, arousing kiss that's a lead up to something hot, we all kiss.

It seems that the custom of humans kissing probably derived from primitive times, with food being transferred from the mother's to her baby's mouths. This lip contact developed into a way for mothers to show affection to their children in much the same way as mothers do today. Somewhere along the line this further developed and became a way for adults to show intimacy.

Later -- sometime during the sixth century -- the acceptance of kissing between adults became obvious in France, where figure dancing was the fashion, with each dance being sealed with a kiss. This led to kissing becoming accepted as a way of adults to express their affection in courtship.

The Russian nobility loved to copy the French so kissing soon caught on in Russia too. It was in Russia that the kiss was first incorporated into the marriage ceremony, where the couple's promises to one another were -- as in the original dance -- sealed with a kiss.

Kissing is a way in which humans show respect. The Romans kissed to greet one another, and one Roman emperor ranked a person's importance by the body part he was allowed to kiss. Those of importance were allowed to kiss his face, lesser nobles were allowed to kiss his hands, and others -- those at the bottom of his serving ranks -- were to kiss his feet. The Romans had different levels of kisses too, much like we do today, with the deep (or French) kiss being the most intimate.

In Europe, the British are probably those who have held back most when it comes to kissing. Southern Europeans were kissing friends publicly long before the British ever considered the idea. However, modern women also find it natural to kiss a good friend on the cheek as a way of showing that their friendship gives them pleasure. Men, however, are still extremely reluctant to kiss a member of the same sex.

Kissing makes us feel good, and because kissing leaves us with a positive attitude to life, it's actually healthy for us. So to live long and remain happy, get those lips working!

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