Random Points In History Where Humans Didn't Kiss (11 items)

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  (#5) Kissing Is Described In Numerous Ancient Texts In Various Cultures

  The Kama Sutra is not the only text to depict kissing. Homer, the famous Greek poet, described King Priam kissing the warrior Achilles's hand to beg for his son's body back. Another Greek writer, Herodotus, talks about Persians kissing each other in order of rank. It is in the Old Testament, too, when Jacob kisses his father and steals his brother's birthright.

  In India, one poem from around 1000 BCE described romantic kissing as such: "She set her mouth to my mouth and made a noise and that produced pleasure in me."
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  (#10) A Few Of The Cultures That Don't Kiss View It As 'Disgusting'

  There is a range of perceptions about kissing in cultures that do not partake in the practice, and those can fluctuate anywhere from mild curiosity to absolute disgust. A good example comes from the "Human Relations Area Files" at Yale University:

  The Tsonga people of Southern Africa are also openly disgusted by the practice: 'Kissing was formerly entirely unknown… When they saw the custom adopted by the Europeans, they said laughingly: 'Look at these people! They suck each other! They eat each other's saliva and dirt!' Even a husband never kissed his wife.'

  Another group that doesn't totally get the appeal of kissing is the Mehinaku tribe of Brazil, who called the practice "gross." In some cultures, the idea of kissing one's spouse on the mouth is seen as "a ludicrous infantilization," as these parents often kiss only their children. 
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  (#1) Romantic Kissing Is Not Universal To All Cultures

  Romantic kissing is not practiced everywhere in the world. In fact, in a study of 168 cultures, romantic kissing only appeared to be common in 46% of them - slightly less than half. The study revealed that romantic kissing is most common in Asia and the Middle East, but least common in Central America.

  Why some cultures kiss romantically and others don't may actually have to do with the type of society they inhabit. According to a 2015 Yale overview on human relations: "Complex societies with distinct social classes (e.g. industrialized societies) have a much more frequent occurrence of this type of kissing than egalitarian societies (e.g. foragers)."
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  (#4) There's Discussion Of Kissing In Several Ancient Sanskrit Texts – And There's A Whole Chapter On It In The 'Kama Sutra'

  Ancient Vedic texts from India, some dating from 1,500 BCE, describe what amounts to an early form of kissing, and the epic poem Mahabharata from 400 BCE also references smooching. However, it's the Kama Sutra, an erotic Indian text that dates back to anywhere between the 2nd and 5th centuries, that really goes into detail on kissing. The ancient Sanskrit manual for intimate pleasure has an entire chapter dedicated to the practice of kissing.

  It is postulated that romantic kissing was brought to the Greeks by Alexander the Great after he invaded India back in 326 BCE and must have witnessed or heard of the practice. With a manual on hand, it isn't surprising that people began exploring kissing and its pleasurable benefits. 
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  (#2) In Some Cultures, Kissing Is Seen As A Sign Of Respect, Not Romance

  For some cultures, the primary function of kissing can is to show social status and deference. In places where romantic kissing is uncommon, like among certain cultural groups in Central America, kissing is seen as a sign of respect. In the Ethiopian highland community of Amhara, some relatives kiss on the cheeks after being away for a while, and some kiss in order of status (those higher up in society are kissed first). Servants and children kiss the feet of their higher-ups and elders.

  In these cultures, kissing is first and foremost a show of respect and will most likely not be practiced romantically.   
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  (#7) The Fall Of The Roman Empire Signaled The End Of Kissing For 1,000 Years

  The ancient Romans did a good job of setting up what we see as modern kissing for romantic purposes, but with the fall of their empire came a kissing drought for nearly 1,000 years. After it returned, kissing was immensely popular - until the mid-1600s. After that, kissing was replaced with more courtly gestures such as bowing and curtsying.

  This change probably had a lot to do with the Black Plague, though, and less to do with the Church, which began discouraging kissing in the 1300s for fear of it developing into more "carnal acts." This makes some sense considering that a particularly involved smooch can involve the exchange of up to 80 million bacteria between the involved partners.

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