Why do humans kiss but not animals?

Question

I've been wondering alot about this question lately, I mean if you think about it human beings are the onlspecieses that kiss/trade saliva as an expression of love or passion..... however other species such as dogs, tigers, cats,etc. never kiss.... And since kissing comes so natural to a human being, im just curious how we got this instinct to kiss and why other animals never developed an instinct to kiss..

Answer 1

because kissing is not a natural social interaction, its a cultural thing. Think about why animals dont shake hands either or wave

Answer 2

That's what makes us HUMAN BEINGS.

Answer 3

actually scorpions kiss infact more of the aquatic and bug species kiss so do penguins. theyo only do that when trying to find a mate and communicate ones partner

Answer 4

I have a cat that licks my hair, and sometimes my face.    It seems to be some sort of affection expressed through grooming.   Perhaps that kind of grooming behavior developed into kissing.

Answer 5

Not true!  Some primates actually do kiss.

And animals often l**k each others' faces which is a form of kissing.  Usually it's only family members that do this.

I think kissing is a form of showing to others in the community that "this woman or man is with me".  PDA, I suppose.  So others know to stay away or else!  That's just a wild guess.  Humans are a lot more visual than other animals (that go mostly by smell).

Take care,

David

Answer 6

because humans have a more complex mental/emotional system that animals do not have so animals such as dogs, tigers, cats, ect. show affection by others means.  the reason for humans to have an instinct to kiss is because we have all grown up hearing about it, seeing it, and just knowing in general that it exists

Answer 7

the animal form of kissing is l*****g, and they do it all the time........dogs constantly l**k their owners as a sign of affection

Answer 8

Something interesting some people don't know is that not ALL people kiss! Some tribes and cultures don't even consider kissing - it's just not something they do.

"A big question is whether kissing is learned or instinctual. Some say it is a learned behavior, dating back to the days of our early human ancestors. Back then, mothers may have chewed food and passed it from their mouths into those of their toothless infants. Even after babies cut their teeth, mothers would continue to press their lips against their toddlers’ cheeks to comfort them.

Supporting the idea that kissing is learned rather than instinctual is the fact that not all humans kiss. Certain tribes around the world just don’t make out, anthropologists say. While 90 percent of humans actually do kiss, 10 percent have no idea what they’re missing.

Others believe kissing is indeed an instinctive behavior, and cite animals’ kissing-like behaviors as proof. While most animals rub noses with each other as a gesture of affection, others like to pucker up just like humans. Bonobos, for example, make up tons of excuses to swap some spit. They do it to make up after fights, to comfort each other, to develop social bonds, and sometimes for no clear reason at all – just like us.

Today, the most widely accepted theory of kissing is that humans do it because it helps us sniff out a quality mate. When our faces are close together, our pheromones “talk” – exchanging biological information about whether or not two people will make strong offspring. Women, for example, subconsciously prefer the scent of men whose genes for certain immune system proteins are different from their own. This kind of match could yield offspring with stronger immune systems, and better chances for survival." -http://scienceline.org/2006/10/02/ask-fi...

So basically, some animals DO kiss in their own way! And it's possibly a learned trait -- so the reason some animals don't kiss is because they haven't "learned" to do it...

Answer 9

Sea lions kiss

Answer 10

LMAO IDK.

Answer 11

Kissing isn't instinct it was a cultural thing and then it evolved over the years into an expression of love. It's also used for greeting and showing respect, it's not just about love. Also, hormones, bodies in close contact, yadda yadda yadda.

Here's a random link:

http://people.howstuffworks.com/kissing1...

Answer 12

Actually humans aren't the only animals who kiss, other primates are observed kissing each other, especially chimps and orangutans which share 99% -chimp and 97%-orangutan DNA with humans, they are our closest living relative and its remarkable how alike the three of us are.

The say that the instinct for kissing may have came from mothers pre-chewing food for their toothless babies, which it eventually became a sign of affection.