Kissing Culture

Let’s imagine you’re holding hands with your partner as you walk down the street. He says something to really make you giggle and you feel the spontaneous urge to give him a kiss. Ignoring the strangers surrounding you, you tenderly lock lips. What may come naturally to couples in the Western world can be interpreted very differently in other countries.

As researchers at the University of Indiana discovered, kissing culture varies significantly depending on the country and its people. Only around half of cultures kiss each other intimately.

Central America, South America and Africa are particular regions where there is not much of a kissing culture. Only 4 of the 17 cultures researched in South America, 4 of 27 in Africa and 0 of 10 cultures in Central America lock lips romantically. Likewise, passionate kissing is unheard of among the rainforest population in the Amazon basin. In North America and Oceania most people are familiar with intimate kissing, whereas romantic kissing is most common in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The exact reasons behind these global differences have yet to be studied in detail.

It is no accident that deep and passionate smooching is known as ‘French kissing’, as the country absolutely oozes romance. The capital city, Paris, is still known as the City of Love, and a French accent is enough to make anyone go weak at the knees. Depending on the region, the French greet each other with two to four pecks on the cheek. The only place kissing is forbidden in France is on level crossings. Supposedly, the French authorities are afraid that kissing for too long could endanger the lovers and other passengers. So on your next trip try to stick to kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower – let’s face it, it’s a much more romantic spot anyway! 

Thailand might not come across as prudish with its full moon beach parties, but in reality, Thai people are very conservative. A kiss on the cheek and bodily contact to greet others are taboo. Instead, the conventional way to greet others is to bow with a ‘wai’. Kissing others in public under the gaze of strangers is frowned upon. The only people to do this are tourists or Thai people wanting to imitate western culture.

Japan also has a kissing culture that differs greatly from ours. For the Japanese, kissing is part of sexual foreplay and therefore is considered to be highly inappropriate in public.

The Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, greet one another by pressing their noses and foreheads together. This is known as a ‘Hongi’, and although not necessarily a kiss, it is very intimate. The idea behind a ‘Hongi’ is to exchange breath to allow the souls to meet. But if you want to make a good impression, don’t forget your toothbrush and mouthwash

In highly conservative countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, kissing in public is absolutely unthinkable. Only men commonly hug to greet one another, whereas men and women don’t even tend to shake hands with each other. In Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Indonesia, kissing and holding hands are also banned on public roads.

Kissing and western kissing culture as we know it was unheard-of in Africa for thousands of years. In South Africa, back in 2007, kissing by children under 16 years old was forbidden both in public and private. But the youth of South Africa refused to accept this ruling and quickly protested with mass kissing events.

The people of the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea have an extraordinary approach to showing their affection: nibbling on their partner’s eyelashes. Short eyelashes are actually considered a status symbol in the South Pacific. The kissing culture over there is also pretty remarkable – with couples sucking and biting on the lips and tongue of their partner until they bleed.

As you can see, the different kissing cultures across the world vary dramatically and it’s best to tread cautiously with your affections in some places! But our guide will help prevent any smooching slip-ups on your next trip.