If there is one thing, the French are proud of, it is the French kiss. But are we really at the origin of the French kiss?

Did we really invent this thing based on saliva that mingles, of tongues that turn, roll, caress?

 

The "French kiss", a very old custom

Let’s get right to the point: no, the French did not invent the "French kiss" (and even less gave this name, but we would have suspected that). To tell the truth, this exclusive practice between two loving partners is extremely old and we find the first traces of it in the... Kamasutra!

We know the Kamasutra to be the book by excellence of eroticism, but we know less about what historical period it corresponds to. Know that this is a set of seven books written between the 6th and 8th centuries. In the Kamasutra, therefore, we were already talking about passionate kisses: those that include the tongue.

 

A more recent name from the Americans

If the practice is ancient and has its roots in India, why does our modern age associate it with the French? According to an article by CNN on the origins of the expression "French kiss", we find the first trace in the English vocabulary as early as 1923: it is used in a book by Sheril Kirshenbaum called "The Science of Kissing."

 

However, it was after the Second World War that the expression took off in the United States. The American soldiers, surprised by the propensity of the French to kiss with the tongue, brought this practice back to their country of origin by giving it the name of "French kiss." Over the decades, the term has even become a verb: “French kissing someone”, is kissing someone with the tongue.

 

The French, therefore, seem to be adept at the technique, but it seems that the majority of people around the world do not share this opinion. For several years, a team of scientists observed and interviewed populations from as many as 168 different cultures.

 

They published their report in 2015 in the scientific journal «American Anthropologist», 54% of the world population would not be at all adept at this practice. Africans and South Americans are the least likely to kiss their partner with the tongue, while Middle Eastern residents seem much more enthusiastic about the idea.

 

Kissing on the mouth is not necessarily linked to a romantic or sexual intercourse: many communities around the world value kissing on the moth as a way to say hello or prove affection.

 

The kiss with the tongue, on the other hand, is unequivocal: it has a strong sexual connotation, and it is practiced exclusively between loving partners. In an interview for CBS News, psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr explains how important it is: "kissing with the tongue is three times more likely to end with sex than kissing with the mouth closed."

 

Some studies suggest that an exchange of testosterone between partners would make it more receptive to sex. With this theory, others argue that increases in the level of oxytocin would be responsible for such an outbreak of sexual desire during a kiss with the tongue. Kissing with your eyes closed would also help a lot.

 

In any case, many scientists are still interested in this practice of kissing, which seems innate in humans, but also in other animals such as bonobos.