Cupids Dating Blog

I read an interesting, albeit inconclusive article on Scienceline (10/02/06) by Christina Fiore explaining that scientists don't know if it's nature or nurture. Some primates such as the Bonobo (commonly, Dwarf Chimpanzee) exhibit kissing behavior, but hardly demonstrate any evolutionary basis for the behavior.

Chimps swap spit for reasons as diverse as humans do. They make up after fights, they comfort one another, it cements social bonds and at times, they do it for simply, no good reason. Sure, some theorize sharing saliva confers shared bacterial immunity but others point out, it could equally spread pathogens.

Ms. Fiore states that although 90 percent of human beings do indeed kiss, anthropologists say 10 percent don't lock lips. That supports the notion that it's learned behavior but still doesn't explain why. She cops out in the end by suggesting we must do it because it feels good. Duh!

AskMen.com claims kissing stimulates a woman's number one erogenous zone. Then it implies that it could always lead to more. Call me naive but I thought what was supposedly meaningful to women and exciting to men, was that a kiss ideally doesn't lead to more. It's a promise of future intimacy and affection, not of sex.

Meanwhile, a review of a book of essays edited by Karen Harvey called "The Kiss in History" discusses an evolution of kisses from public symbol of power to private expression of affection. Take, for example, the "kiss of peace" between a dominating feudal lord and his submissive vassal. When last did you need include a kiss with your income tax unless you love the IRS?

My two cents comes courtesy of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" written by Rudy Clark. Whether with a man or a woman, whether the best or worse kisser, when the kissing quality changes, it's over. Recognizing the "kiss of death" may be a law of the jungle or trained monkey trick, but the lips tell no lies.