Science Quickly The evolutionary riddle of the kiss
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Feb 13, 2026 
Matilda Brindle, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford who studies social and sexual behavior, explores why kissing evolved. She explains how kissing appears across primates and may date back 21.5 million years. She discusses kissing’s possible roles in mate assessment, arousal, bonding, disease risk, and even hints that Neandertals likely kissed too.
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Memorable Kisses Linger
- Kendra Pierre-Lewis shares listener stories about memorable kisses, including Carrie's from 1980.
- These personal memories show how kisses can stick in people’s minds for decades.
Kissing Has Deep Primate Roots
- Matilda Brindle notes kissing occurs in other primates, suggesting evolutionary roots.
- She also highlights that romantic kissing is not universal across human cultures.
A Clear Definition Of Kissing
- Brindle defines kissing as non-agonistic oral-oral contact with lip movements and no food transfer.
- She excludes pre-mastication to separate feeding from affectionate mouth contact.