Kissing, kissing, kissing, snogging – we know many words for pressing two lips together. After all, it’s one of the most romantic gestures we know. But a kiss is not only a sign of affection, it also has many positive effects on our health.
As ubiquitous as kissing is today, little is known about how people came up with the idea of kissing and how long kissing has become so widespread. A study from 2022 published in the journal Science Advances provides an indication of this. The results suggest that this romantic gesture could be linked to the spread of the HSV-1 herpes virus. Researchers led by geneticist Christina Scheib from the University of Cambridge have carried out around 3000 historical DNA analyses. They found the virus in a sample from a man buried in Russia’s Urals more than 1,500 years ago. By comparing the ancient herpesvirus with modern herpesviruses, the researchers were able to reconstruct the history of the pathogen.
Kiss: Why people kiss is not clearly documented
“Every primate species has some form of herpes. We therefore assume that the virus has been present in our country since our own species left Africa,” explains Christiana Scheib in a statement. The genetic family tree changed about 5,000 years ago and something happened that allowed one strain of herpes to overtake all the others. The scientists suspect that the practice of kissing could be related to the spread of the herpes virus.
They haven’t researched exactly why our ancestors started kissing. One theory holds that the kiss arose from mouth-to-mouth feeding. Regardless of how mankind came to kissing as an expression of affection, science has delved into the effect kissing has on us. Read in the picture gallery which ten positive effects a kiss on the mouth has – and why we should all kiss more!
Sources: study Science Advances,Communication University of Cambridge,Study kissing and allergy, Helios clinic, Barmer, Paper kissing in romantic relationships, Study allergy and kisses, Study cholesterol and kissing, University of Oxford Communication on the study, Medicine Blog American Journal,BetterHealth