Tag: memory
Why do we kiss?
Just observe the world. You will not find one animal that kisses its partner to demonstrate its affection. Fish, birds, gazelles don’t do it and no, your cat or dog is not kissing you. It might be touching you with its mouth because you hug its head in point blank range and its mouth just touches your skin. It’s inevitable. And plants… they certainly can’t kiss each other. So, that leaves us…humans; the only kind that kisses others for pleasure. But why do we do it? Is it just an unavoidable perk of evolution or is there something deeper behind all that kissing?
Here are some thoughts:
1. Kissing violates personal space. The no go zone is conquered in the most pleasant way.
2. All your senses are heightened as you approach your partner for a kiss; the eyes have microscopic view of the loved one’s facial features although they also contribute to spoiling of the eyes if you keep them open during the time, the nose picks up smells that normally vanishes into the air when there’s distance, the ears can hear sounds of affection, the touch is performed by one of the most sensitive organs (the lips) and the taste? The lips and the tongue can make you experience flavors you’ve never experienced before as everyone has a different flavor.
3. Kissing is good for the immune system as partners exchange thousands of bacteria which strengthen each other’s immune system. However, I highly doubt we kiss for medical concerns.
4. Kissing each body part has a different meaning; the lips show romantic affection, the hands demonstrate respect and the butt (not literally) tells a lot about a person’s lowly character (kissing the butt literally just shows you have a kind of weird fetish)…
And finally, kissing improves the memory! The first romantic kiss is never forgotten as it marks your transcourse from infancy to puberty….
I remember my first kiss like it was yesterday (although it happened more than a quarter century before) Her name was Rosemary, a Dutch, red-headed gal who put me over the clouds for at least a week.
So, if you would like to share your story of your first kiss, please feel free to comment…
Having a solid long-term memory: A blessing or a curse?
It’s weird (and not in a good way) to be able to remember your 3rd birthday celebrations when you are a few months short of celebrating your 40th. And when it’s just not the special days of your infancy that you remember, it feels like a curse. Falling face down from the feeding chair, screaming upon seeing a common house fly from up close for the first time or remembering every gibberish word of the neighbor complimenting how smart I was. I’m the only one in the family who remembers all these junk memories and that makes me…feel lonely. I do feel a little lucky, though. I don’t remember anything prior to my third year in this life and I don’t remember what I had for lunch on a specific date either. Errr…at least not every day of my past life. (The sloppy Joe I had for lunch on 22 September 1991 was exceptional! It deserves a mention :))
Growing up with this blurse (blessing-curse) was pretty difficult, too. Especially, my love life was ruined; remembering every single fight as well as the good stuff while my significant other(s) were able to remember the not so good parts. I never missed an anniversary though, so that was a huge plus. Not being able to forget how I felt after a good night or a good fight, while my partner(s) having fading away feelings was the downside.
Anyway, the best part of this whole memory mojo, was that I became a writer; using a lifetime of memories and retelling them in my stories. Perhaps now, others won’t forget or easily remember what they had forgotten…
P.S: The song that goes with this entry is somehow “Sweet Child of mine” by GNR.