# Why do people kiss? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712 "2002-07-25T05:35:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheSparkofCreation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@TheSparkofCreation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSparkofCreation)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/1 "2002-07-25T05:35:58Z")
It’s something I’ve been wondering ever since that awkward kiss from hell in the movie, “Spiderman.” It’s a rather strange practice, if you give it some thought. And, well, you guys are strange. I thought you might know something about the origins of the kiss. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/2 "2002-07-25T06:23:52Z")
Yes, why do we like to press our lips to one end of another person’s 7 meter length of intestine which has an anus at the other end? (Makes kissing sound so romantic, doesn’t it?) I read somewhere (I know, I know, “Cite!” I think it was in “The Naked Ape” by Desmond Morris) that the gesture of kissing is maybe derived from the habit of mother mammals of pre-chewing food for their young. Preparing the food this way is seen as a loving gesture, which is mimicked in adulthood with a kiss. Ah, found a quote to back this up: > [@](#): > > With the deep kissing and tonguing of modern lovers, we are back again at the infantile mouth-feeding stage of the far-distant past… If the young lovers exploring each other’s mouths with their tongues feel the anicient comfort of parental mouth-feeding, this may help them increase their mutual trust and thereby pair-bond. > Desmond Morris ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/3 "2002-07-25T06:51:45Z")
Suck Face? Got to love it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/4 "2002-07-25T10:26:54Z")
Because jumping straight for the clitoris is poor form. And _I_ should have more awkward kisses from hell. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/5 "2002-07-25T11:24:24Z")
More information available [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75524&highlight=KISSING) Or [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51717&highlight=KISSING) also. If fact, there are many such references / threads if you run a search. Welcome to the SDMB, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/6 "2002-07-25T12:07:25Z")
> [@](#): > > I read somewhere (I know, I know, “Cite!” I think it was in “The Naked Ape” by Desmond Morris) that the gesture of kissing is maybe derived from the habit of mother mammals of pre-chewing food for their young. Preparing the food this way is seen as a loving gesture, which is mimicked in adulthood with a kiss. Much as I like Morris’ theories and dislike Claude Levi-Strauss’, I think Levi-Strauss gets the credit for this one. If I’m not mistaken, it’s in the appropriately-named **The Origin of Table Manners** And, yes, he suggests the passing of chewed food as the origin. I’m not entirely happy with this explanation, but it’s the best I’ve heard. In A.K. Dewdney’s book **The Planiverse** (a sf book about a two-dimensional universe) the 2-D creatures “kiss” by rubbing their gills together. ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-kiss/120712/7 "2002-07-25T13:14:48Z")
Sheesh. Does there have to be a scientific answer for everything? How about 'cause it feels _soooo_ good? 🙂