Study Links Human Kissing to Ancestral Ape Grooming Behaviors

Research suggests kissing evolved from grooming rituals in great apes, though its cultural significance varies widely across human societies.

Scientists propose the 'groomer's final kiss hypothesis,' linking human kissing to grooming behaviors in ancestral apes.
The study suggests that the final act of grooming among apes, involving lip protrusion and suction, may have evolved into kissing.
While kissing is common in many cultures, it is not universal, with some societies finding it culturally insignificant or even distasteful.
Other theories on the origin of kissing include nurturing behaviors like pre-mastication and compatibility testing through taste.
The research highlights that kissing likely evolved as a symbolic gesture to reinforce social bonds, though its origins remain debated.