Is kissing universal? Nope!

Marissa D

Scribe of the girls in the basement
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
3,071
Reaction score
365
Location
New England but hankering for the old one
Website
www.marissadoyle.com

morngnstar

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
2,271
Reaction score
297
The conclusion seems like a bit of a stretch from the methods. I wonder whether it exists in some cultures but is considered taboo or private. After all in our own culture, kissing anywhere but the face (maybe the hands) is not considered proper in public.
 

The Otter

Friendly Neighborhood Mustelid
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
1,461
Reaction score
441
Location
In the room next to the noisy ice machine, for all
The conclusion seems like a bit of a stretch from the methods. I wonder whether it exists in some cultures but is considered taboo or private. After all in our own culture, kissing anywhere but the face (maybe the hands) is not considered proper in public.

Yeah, that was my thought too. Though it's true that a lot of behaviors we assume to be universal really aren't. When building cultures in fantasy novels, it is useful to contemplate other ways that people could express affection and intimacy.

"The Mehinaku, who live in Brazil, for example, are known to nibble at eyebrows during sex."

That's...interesting. Ear-nibbling seems pretty common, but that's the first time I've heard of eyebrows being eroticized.
 
Last edited:

Jan74

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
1,072
Reaction score
136
Location
Canada
interesting article
 

morngnstar

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
2,271
Reaction score
297
Yeah, that was my thought too. Though it's true that a lot of behaviors we assume to be universal really aren't. When building cultures in fantasy novels, it is useful to contemplate other ways that people could express affection and intimacy.

"The Mehinaku, who live in Brazil, for example, are known to nibble at eyebrows during sex."

That's...interesting. Ear-nibbling seems pretty common, but that's the first time I've heard of eyebrows being eroticized.

I just figure when it comes to sex, everything is universal, unless it's specifically taboo. I'm sure western people kiss on the eyebrows sometimes. I guess the point is it doesn't have any special significance. And for other cultures kissing lip to lip might be done but have no special significance.

I still think the methods of the study are weak proof of that.
 

Marissa D

Scribe of the girls in the basement
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
3,071
Reaction score
365
Location
New England but hankering for the old one
Website
www.marissadoyle.com
Though it's true that a lot of behaviors we assume to be universal really aren't. When building cultures in fantasy novels, it is useful to contemplate other ways that people could express affection and intimacy.

Ummm...that was kind of the point of posting this here in the Romance forum, not in Non-fiction. ..
 

writerfrenzy

Registered
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
Yes, agreed. I know for a fact that people in the middle east/pakistan don't kiss.
 

cool pop

It's Cool, Miss Pop if You're Nasty
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
660
Reaction score
131
Location
Texas
These things are not universal even in the same country. Everyone is different and likes or dislikes different things. I'm American and kissing disgusts me. It's gross. LOL! A kiss on the cheek or a peck is fine but French kissing? Ugh. I never could stand that and I hear a lot of people say the same. Nope, I am not a fan of swapping spit and everything else with someone. I don't care how much I love them. Some people just don't like kissing no matter where they are from.
 
Last edited:

tesda

Registered
Joined
Jan 29, 2018
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Interesting perspective. Coming from a conservative Asian country, I think kissing is mostly in private and in the confines of a room where no other people can see you kiss.
 

MaeZe

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 6, 2016
Messages
12,775
Reaction score
6,483
Location
Ralph's side of the island.
Re the OP: That's fantastic information.

Related: Smiles are also not universal across cultures despite the fact I used to believe they were and only now found out they are not.
Wiki: While smiling is perceived as a positive emotion most of the time, there are many cultures that perceive smiling as a negative expression and consider it unwelcoming. Too much smiling can be viewed as a sign of shallowness or dishonesty.[9] In some parts of Asia, people may smile when they are embarrassed or in emotional pain. Some people may smile at others to indicate a friendly greeting. A smile may be reserved for close friends and family members. Many people in the former Soviet Union area consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even suspicious behavior. [10]
Though I do believe all newborns smile.
 
Last edited:

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
22,617
Reaction score
7,298
Location
Wash., D.C. area
When I lived in Uganda, kissing in public was considered scandalous. It was "introduced by Hollywood."

As for its relation to writing, I thknk it's a good example of keeping the audience in mind. Art is nothing without the observer and the effect it has, which of course is tempered by culture.
 

Fallen

Stood at the coalface
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
5,500
Reaction score
1,957
Website
www.jacklpyke.com
These things are not universal even in the same country. Everyone is different and likes or dislikes different things. I'm American and kissing disgusts me. It's gross. LOL! A kiss on the cheek or a peck is fine but French kissing? Ugh. I never could stand that and I hear a lot of people say the same. Nope, I am not a fan of swapping spit and everything else with someone. I don't care how much I love them. Some people just don't like kissing no matter where they are from.

Ooh, same here! :snoopy:I haven't kissed my husband for 20 years. We've beeen together for... 20 years lol. Nah, it's just a swapping of bacteria in my eyes. But I do like reading about kissing, although I don't write about it too much kissing either. There's always other, more private shows of affection: the hand on the small of the back as they're out shopping etc.
 
Last edited: