Until recently, scholars believed that romantic tongue kissing originated in South Asia around 300 B.C. NYPost Photo Illustration They say evidence of a lusty lip-lock is etched into the Barton ...

In the Middle East, for example, lip-locking is widely considered to be a sign of romantic love and affection, with 10 out of 10 regional cultures showing evidence of romantic kissing.

Lip-on-lip kissing is not nearly as universal as we might think it is. The diversity of ways that humans kiss might reveal what it is that we find important.

Across Europe, a peck on the cheek is a common cultural greeting; one on the lips is indeed a romantic gesture. In India, Bangladesh and Thailand, it’s a private practice.

The findings show that this form of kissing did not originate in a single place. Mesopotamia, India, and other societies separately learned to associate pecks on the lips as romantic.

A passionate kiss may make you swoon, but many cultures don't do it, anthropologists say. And some cultures find such lip locks downright disgusting.

In the Middle East, for example, lip-locking is widely considered to be a sign of romantic love and affection, with 10 out of 10 regional cultures showing evidence of romantic kissing.