Kissing?

[TheRealJoeFish]

Wikipedia says:
- anthropologists are divided as to whether kissing is intuitive/instinctual or derived from kiss-feeding as noted above;
- kissing is referenced in Sanskrit, Sumerian and Egyptian texts but did not really get to Europe until Alexander the Great; the Romans then spread it all over the friggin world;
- that being said, Romantic/sexual kissing (as opposed to affectionate kissing) is pretty new (within the last couple of centuries);
- in many countries, kissing (especially in public, but not always specified) is a crime; in India, it is technically an offense carrying a penalty of three months in prison (high courts often overrule convictions but it can be used by local governments to harass);
- kissing involves 146 muscles and is associated with brief physiological that are good for the heart and lungs.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Invented in italy by people eating pasta together and tongue wrestling to get the bigger piece of each noodle.  True story.

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*fingers crossed*

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Let's face it: Italian food is fucking sexy.

[chimp3]

Chimpanzees kiss. We probably inherited the trait from our common ancestor.

[vorlon13]

[Arkilogue]

[vorlon13]

[Arkilogue]

[rado84]

Something I've always wondered about...

Is kissing (as us humans do it), instinctive, or did we kind of "invent" it? 

Many animals show affection by licking. It's their way of giving kisses and obviously an instinct for them. I wonder if our instinct is also to lick as a show of affection but since it's kind of gross we've invented the kiss. 

Anyone else ever wonder this? Thoughts? Comments? I'm bored today.

I disagree licking is gross. If I like the girl/the boy very, very much, I'd lick them rather than kissing them. For example, YOHIO and Shae Summers - these two I'd lick them without hesitation.

[chimp3]

We are the only ape that has a vermilion zone on our lips.

[brewer]

Wikipedia says:
- anthropologists are divided as to whether kissing is intuitive/instinctual or derived from kiss-feeding as noted above;
- kissing is referenced in Sanskrit, Sumerian and Egyptian texts but did not really get to Europe until Alexander the Great; the Romans then spread it all over the friggin world;
- that being said, Romantic/sexual kissing (as opposed to affectionate kissing) is pretty new (within the last couple of centuries);
- in many countries, kissing (especially in public, but not always specified) is a crime; in India, it is technically an offense carrying a penalty of three months in prison (high courts often overrule convictions but it can be used by local governments to harass);
- kissing involves 146 muscles and is associated with brief physiological that are good for the heart and lungs.

bold mine

Does anyone know if this coincides with the advent of modern oral hygiene?