90% of cultures participate in mouth to mouth kissing , including bonobos. Aside from the fact that it feels nice and helps you feel closer to your partner, there is another benefit, and this one explains why the behavior caught on from an evolutionary standpoint.
Mouth to mouth kissing builds up our immune systems by exposing each participant to the diseases of the other.
Scientists believe that this is particularly important when it comes to the Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), an infection that can pose serious risks to the woman's offspring if it is acquired during particular time periods. This virus is easily exchanged via mouth to mouth kissing.
Therefore, because females are mostly able to control when they kiss, if they become infected with a strain of HCMV at the certain time, they are able to protect their offspring from the threat of infection when the baby is in its most vulnerable stages of development.
Comments
Post a Comment