A kiss (from Old English cyssan "to kiss," in turn from coss "a kiss," perhaps onomatopoeic) is the touching with the lips. The scientific name for kissing is .
Origins
Anthropologists have not reached a consensus as to whether kissing is a learned or an instinctive behavior. It may be related to grooming behavior also seen between other animals, or arising as a result of mothers premasticating food for their children. Kissing allows prospective mates to smell and taste each other's pheromones for biological compatibility. Women are subconsciously more attracted to men whose major histocompatibility complex portion of their genome is different than her own, leading to offspring with resistance to a greater number of diseases, and thus having a better chance of survival.
This explains why couples are more likely to bond if they have the right "chemistry". Many primates also exhibit kissing behavior.
Kissing as affection
In modern Western culture, kissing is most commonly an expression of affection. This is unlike many parts of the world where kissing is viewed as a means of respecting others.
Between people of close acquaintance, a kiss, often reciprocal, is offered as a greeting or farewell. This kind of kiss is typically made by brief contact of puckered lips to the skin of the cheek or no contact at all, and merely performed in the air near the cheek with the cheeks touching. Such kissing is a common greeting in European and Latin American countries between a man and a woman or between two women but also by two men in part of the Middle East and parts of Europe and Latin America. People sometimes kiss children to comfort them or show affection, and vice versa. This usually takes place on the forehead or cheek.
As an expression of romantic affection or sexual desire, kissing involves two people kissing one another on the lips, usually with much more intensity, and for a considerably longer period of time. In more passionate kissing couples may open their mouths, suck on each other's lips, or move their tongues into each others' mouths (see French kiss). Sexual kissing may also involve one person kissing another on various parts of the body (see Foreplay).
In romantic and sexual kissing, the physical sensations are often of primary importance.
One might find it stimulating if their partner moved their tongue in small circles against their own, or bite the lips gently. Caution should be exercised, as others may find the biting of lips distasteful and displeasing, not enjoying it.
Kissing as symbolism
When not an expression of affection, a kiss is a largely symbolic gesture in that the purpose of the kiss is to convey a meaning, such as salutations or subordination, rather than to experience the physical sensations associated with kissing. Kisses on the cheek as salutations are traditional in many parts of continental Europe, and the number of kisses, alternating cheeks, depends on which region one comes from.
Kissing may also be used to signify reverence and subordination, as in kissing the ring of a queen or other figure. A kiss can also be rude or done for the sake of irritating or proving one's superiority.
A more ominous use of the kiss is as a symbol of condemnation as may be observed when a crime lord kisses an underling, in effect imposing a death sentence upon that person, the ultimate "goodbye kiss" or the "kiss of death".{cn} Indeed, in the Bible, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
The term Kissing Hands is used to formally describe the appointment of the senior state figures to office by British monarchs. Though in the past, the monarch's hand was actually kissed, this is no longer so. When figures such as the British Prime Minister, cabinet members and diplomatics are formally appointed, they are said to have Kissed Hands. (Kissing the hand is still practised as a romantic flourish, especially in Latin countries.)
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, kissing is a sign of veneration or respect. People kiss icons to show their veneration to the person depicted in the icon. When a layman meets a priest, he holds out his hands and says "Father, bless". The priest will then bless him and hold out his hand for the layman to kiss. During the Divine Liturgy, the congregants come to the front of the church to kiss the Book of the Gospels and the blessing Cross at various parts of the service (after kissing these the congregants also kiss the priest's hand). Congregants also kiss the chalice and the priest's hand after receiving Holy Communion, to show their respect to the Body and Blood of Christ.
Kissing the hand of a religious leader is often observed among Shia or Sufi followers of Islam too.
[[Image:Samurai kiss.jpg|left|thumb|280px|Man kissing boy
Other uses
The term is also used for expressions of affection that do not involve the lips. The "Eskimo kiss" is executed by the two individuals gently rubbing the tips of their noses together. In the Māori culture of New Zealand people greet each other by pressing noses together; this gesture is called a hongi. A "butterfly kiss" consists of two people putting their eyes close to each other and fluttering their eyelashes upon one another's.{cn} A caterpillar kiss consists of two people rubbing their eyebrows together.
The kiss does not exist in all cultures, as certain societies find it repugnant.In Burmese Days, George Orwell notes that the Burmese do not kiss at all, and have no word for the practice.
A kiss can be "blown" using actions of the hand and the mouth. This is used to convey affection usually while parting, when the partners are physically distant but can view each other. Blown kisses are also used when a popular person wishes to convey affection to a large crowd or audience.
Asymmetry in kissing
To avoid a clash of noses while kissing, couples often turn their faces slightly to one side, thereby orienting their heads at an angle with respect to each other.
To make this position more comfortable, one member of the couple may support the other, perhaps across the lap or in an embrace—thus combining hugging with kissing. The person supporting the other may tend to take the more active role in the kiss. Writing in Nature, psychologist Onur Güntürkün observed couples kissing in public places such as airports and parks; his research demonstrated that by a 2:1 ratio the direction of turn is more frequently to the right than to the left. Güntürkün ascribed this asymmetry to a neonatal right-side preference
.
The anatomy of kissing
Kissing is a complex behaviour that requires significant muscular coordination; in fact, a total of twenty muscles working cooperatively. The most important muscle involved is the orbicularis oris muscle, which is used to pucker the lips and informally known as the kissing muscle. The tongue can also be an important part of the kiss.
Screen kiss
A screen kiss is one portrayed in a film (the equivalent act in a play is known as a stage kiss). The plot of a film or play may involve characters falling in love with each other, but the actors playing this role might not have any personal relationship with each other whatsoever. Because sharing a kiss is a private, emotive experience for many people, actors often report kissing to be one of the most difficult aspects of their profession, in that it requires them to convey the feeling of passion and love when none is present.
Young actors and actresses in particular may find screen kisses embarrassing and require time to accustom themselves to the task at hand. In the case of some sitcoms who utilize a laugh track or film the show in front of live audiences, whenever a popular male lead shares a kiss with an equally popular female lead, the audience reacts with a collective "OoooooOOOOOooooh!" in a somewhat teasing fashion. This is an example of a typical sitcom audience reaction.
Notable kisses
In history
Folklore
In art
In film
In theatre
In music
In photography
Trivia
External links and references
