20 Things You Didn't Know About... Kissing

Our unique human lips, the conquests that carried kissing, and how kissing makes men and women more like each other

By Sheril Kirshenbaum
Mar 19, 2011 5:00 AMJun 28, 2023 8:13 PM

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1 Only you: Human lips are different from those of all other animals because they are everted, meaning that they purse outward.

 But we are not the only species to engage in kissing-like behaviors. Great apes press their lips together to express excitement, affection, or reconciliation.

3 Scientists are not sure why humans kiss, but some think the answer lies in early feeding experiences. Through nursing and (in some cultures) receiving pre-chewed food from a parent's mouth, infants may learn to associate lip pressure with a loving act.

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