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Kiss

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For other uses, see Kiss (disambiguation).
Image:Francesco Hayez 008.jpg

A kiss (from Old English cyssan "to kiss," in turn from coss "a kiss," perhaps onomatopoeic) is the touching of the lips. The study of kissing is called philematology.

Kissing is a learned behavior[citation needed], related to the grooming behavior seen between other animals. Many non-human primates also exhibit kissing behavior.[citation needed]

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[edit] Kissing as affection

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In modern Western culture, kissing is most commonly an expression of affection.

Between people of close acquaintance, a kiss, often reciprocal, is offered as a greeting or farewell. This kind of kiss is typically made by brief contact of puckered lips to the skin of the cheek or no contact at all, and merely performed in the air near the cheek with the cheeks touching. Such kissing is a common greeting in European and Latin American countries between a man and a woman or between two women but also by two men in part of the Middle East[citation needed] and parts of Europe. People sometimes kiss children to comfort them or show affection, and vice versa.

As an expression of romantic affection or sexual desire, kissing involves at least and is generally limited to a quantity of two people kissing one another on the lips, usually with much more intensity, and for a considerably longer period of time. In more passionate kissing couples may open their mouths, suck on each other's lips, or move their tongues into each others' mouths (see French kissing). Sexual kissing may also involve one person kissing another on various parts of the body (see Foreplay).

In romantic and sexual kissing, the physical sensations are often of primary importance. One might find it stimulating if their partner moved their tongue in small circles against their own, or bite the lips gently.

[edit] Kissing as symbolism

Image:Kissing.jpg When not an expression of affection, a kiss is a largely symbolic gesture in that the purpose of the kiss is to convey a meaning, such as salutations or subordination, rather than to experience the physical sensations associated with kissing. Kisses on the cheek as salutations are traditional in many parts of continental Europe, and the number of kisses, alternating cheeks, depends on which region one comes from.

Kissing may also be used to signify reverence and subordination, as in kissing the ring of a queen or other figure. A kiss can also be rude or done for the sake of irritating or proving one's superiority. A rude kiss or a kiss with a smack is referred to, in the United States of America, as a buss.[citation needed]

A more ominous use of the kiss is as a symbol of condemnation as may be observed when a crime lord kisses an underling, in effect imposing a death sentence upon that person, the ultimate "goodbye kiss" or the "kiss of death". Indeed, Judas is said to have betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

The term Kissing Hands is used to formally describe the appointment of the senior state figures to office by British monarchs. Though in the past, the monarch's hand was actually kissed, this is no longer so. When figures such as the British Prime Minister, cabinet members and diplomatics are formally appointed, they are said to have Kissed Hands. (Kissing the hand is still practised as a romantic flourish, especially in Latin countries.)

Man kissing boy Miyagawa Isshō, ca. 1750; One of ten panels on shudo themes from a shunga-style painted hand scroll. Private collection.

In internet and IRC chat, kiss is expressed by the characters xx<tt> or the <tt>:-*<tt> smiley.

When someone has done something magnificent for another person, that person may sometimes say, "I could just Kiss you!" because of their gratefulness, and not actually do it or in some cases do it. This is commonly done to express complete gratefulness among friends who are either same sex or moderately close friends to one another.

[edit] Other uses

The term is also used for expressions of affection that do not involve the lips. The "Eskimo kiss" is executed by the two individuals gently rubbing the tips of their noses together. In the Māori culture of New Zealand people greet each other by pressing noses together; this gesture is called a hongi. A "butterfly kiss" consists of two people putting their eyes close to each other and fluttering their eyelashes upon one another's. A caterpillar kiss consists of two people rubbing their eyebrows together. Caterpillar kisses often give way to butterfly kisses.

The kiss does not exist in all cultures, as certain societies find it repugnant.[citation needed]

A kiss can be "blown" using actions of the hand and the mouth. This is used to convey affection usually while parting, when the partners are physically distant but can view each other. Blown kisses are also used when a popular person wishes to convey affection to a large crowd or audience.

[edit] Asymmetry in kissing

In order to avoid a clash of noses while kissing, couples often turn their faces slightly to one side, thereby orienting their heads at an angle with respect to each other. To make this position more comfortable, one member of the couple may support the other, perhaps across the lap or in an embrace—thus combining hugging with kissing. The person supporting the other may tend to take the more active role in the kiss. Writing in Nature, psychologist Onur Güntürkün observed couples kissing in public places such as airports and parks; his research demonstrated that by a 2:1 ratio the direction of turn is more frequently to the right than to the left. Güntürkün ascribed this asymmetry to a neonatal right-side preference [1].

[edit] The anatomy of kissing

Kissing is a complex behaviour that requires significant muscular coordination; in fact, a total of twenty muscles working cooperatively. The most important muscle involved is the orbicularis oris muscle, which is used to pucker the lips and informally known as the kissing muscle. The tongue can also be an important part of the kiss.

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[edit] Screen kiss

A screen kiss is one portrayed in a film (the equivalent act in a play is known as a stage kiss). The plot of a film or play may involve characters falling in love with each other, but the actors playing this role may not have any personal relationship with each other whatsoever. Because sharing a kiss is a private, emotive experience for many people, actors often report kissing to be one of the most difficult aspects of their profession, in that it requires them to convey the feeling of passion and love when none is present. Young actors and actresses in particular may find screen kisses embarrassing and require time to accustom themselves to the task at hand.

The 1896 short film The Kiss featured the first known screen kiss, a forty-seven second recreation of a stage kiss from the musical The Widow Jones. The movie was considered scandalous at the time of its release but has since entered film history as one of the most memorable early films. The longest onscreen kiss was performed by Gregory Smith and Stephanie Sherrin in the 2005 film Kids in America and lasted "just over six minutes."

[edit] Kisses in history, art and literature

  • In the gospels, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss on the cheek—a subversive use of the kiss, which in Middle Eastern culture remains a time-honored symbol of friendship and affection.
  • The Romans distinguished three types of kiss: osculum, a friendship kiss on the cheek; basium, a kiss of affection on the lips; and suavium, a lovers' deep kiss.
  • In the fairytale "Sleeping Beauty" and the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, a romantic kiss is used by a male to awaken or breathe life into a female, illustrating an archetype feminist critics have interpreted as symbolising the idea that women do not have life unless their sexuality is awakened through the attention of men. The Matrix turns the tables on this motif when at the climax of the film, Trinity kisses the apparently dead protagonist Neo, thereby resurrecting him. Similarly, in American retellings of the fairytale "Frog Prince," it is the male who is transformed from frog to man by a romantic kiss.
  • Contrary to popular belief, Lord Nelson, British naval commander, did not offer as his last words the line: "Kiss me, Hardy." The alternative words of "Kismet, Hardy,' often suggested as Nelson's actual last words, are equally false. Nelson's final words were, in fact, "Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub"—a request to those with him to relieve his heat, thirst and pains.
  • Works entitled The Kiss were painted by both Gustav Klimt and Francesco Hayez.
  • Auguste Rodin created the sculpture The Kiss (Le Baiser).
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  • The French photographer Robert Doisneau shot a couple kissing by the Hotel de Ville (Paris) in 1950. The photo, later called "The Kiss," is now considered a classic, a fact one couple alleging to be the subjects of the photo attempted to exploit in their unsuccessful 1990s lawsuit against the photographer.
  • In Lady and the Tramp, as Lady and Tramp simultaneously eat a spaghetti noodle from opposite ends, their lips meet in the middle. Homages to and parodies of this scene have appeared in several movies, including Hot Shots! Part Deux.
  • In The Princess Bride, the narrator comments on Westley and Buttercup's kiss: "Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."
  • The Turkish singer Tarkan's 1997 hit song "Şımarık" has a chorus that ends with two kiss sounds. A cover version performed by Australian Holly Valance is entitled "Kiss Kiss."
  • United States-based rock act Sixpence None The Richer released a single entitled "Kiss Me."
  • In the 1989 animated disney film, The Little Mermaid, Sebastian sings "Kiss the Girl" to Ariel and Prince Eric in an attempt to break the spell put upon Ariel.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] See also

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[edit] Notes

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[edit] External links and references

ar:تقبيل bg:Целувка da:Kys pdc:Boss de:Kuss es:Beso eo:Kiso fa:بوسه fr:Baiser fy:tút ko:입맞춤 hr:Poljubac it:Bacio he:נשיקה lt:Bučinys hu:Csók mk:Бакнеж nl:Zoen ja:接吻 no:Kyss pl:Pocałunek pt:Beijo ru:Поцелуй simple:Kiss fi:Suuteleminen sv:Kyss vi:Hôn zh:親吻

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