Hossein Samani
@hsamani.bsky.social
Student at ENS-PSL, Interested in human cognition, Nomad.
7/ ✏️🔍
Our account predicts:
- Non‑kissing cultures should still see romantic kissing as intimate, while not necessarily “romantic.”
- Children may initially see lip‑kissing as a general intimacy cue, then learn it’s specifically romantic.
Our account predicts:
- Non‑kissing cultures should still see romantic kissing as intimate, while not necessarily “romantic.”
- Children may initially see lip‑kissing as a general intimacy cue, then learn it’s specifically romantic.
January 3, 2026 at 11:31 AM
7/ ✏️🔍
Our account predicts:
- Non‑kissing cultures should still see romantic kissing as intimate, while not necessarily “romantic.”
- Children may initially see lip‑kissing as a general intimacy cue, then learn it’s specifically romantic.
Our account predicts:
- Non‑kissing cultures should still see romantic kissing as intimate, while not necessarily “romantic.”
- Children may initially see lip‑kissing as a general intimacy cue, then learn it’s specifically romantic.
6/😚
As it involves:
- Close bodily contact
- Synchrony
- Sharing saliva
- Somewhat costly (bc of pathogens)
👀 We argue this is why it keeps being rediscovered.
As it involves:
- Close bodily contact
- Synchrony
- Sharing saliva
- Somewhat costly (bc of pathogens)
👀 We argue this is why it keeps being rediscovered.
January 3, 2026 at 11:28 AM
6/😚
As it involves:
- Close bodily contact
- Synchrony
- Sharing saliva
- Somewhat costly (bc of pathogens)
👀 We argue this is why it keeps being rediscovered.
As it involves:
- Close bodily contact
- Synchrony
- Sharing saliva
- Somewhat costly (bc of pathogens)
👀 We argue this is why it keeps being rediscovered.
5/
Cultural evolution doesn’t search randomly. It tends to “settle” on practices that fit our cognitive dispositions.
Given our early emerging abstract ideas about intimacy, lip‑to‑lip kissing is an especially intuitive solution...
Cultural evolution doesn’t search randomly. It tends to “settle” on practices that fit our cognitive dispositions.
Given our early emerging abstract ideas about intimacy, lip‑to‑lip kissing is an especially intuitive solution...
January 3, 2026 at 11:26 AM
5/
Cultural evolution doesn’t search randomly. It tends to “settle” on practices that fit our cognitive dispositions.
Given our early emerging abstract ideas about intimacy, lip‑to‑lip kissing is an especially intuitive solution...
Cultural evolution doesn’t search randomly. It tends to “settle” on practices that fit our cognitive dispositions.
Given our early emerging abstract ideas about intimacy, lip‑to‑lip kissing is an especially intuitive solution...
4/💞
Now add culture and history.
Romantic love is near‑universal, BUT how important it is varies hugely.
In societies where romantic love becomes central and high‑stakes, people need clear, intuitive ways to signal and differentiate romantic bonds from other close relationships.
Now add culture and history.
Romantic love is near‑universal, BUT how important it is varies hugely.
In societies where romantic love becomes central and high‑stakes, people need clear, intuitive ways to signal and differentiate romantic bonds from other close relationships.
January 3, 2026 at 11:22 AM
4/💞
Now add culture and history.
Romantic love is near‑universal, BUT how important it is varies hugely.
In societies where romantic love becomes central and high‑stakes, people need clear, intuitive ways to signal and differentiate romantic bonds from other close relationships.
Now add culture and history.
Romantic love is near‑universal, BUT how important it is varies hugely.
In societies where romantic love becomes central and high‑stakes, people need clear, intuitive ways to signal and differentiate romantic bonds from other close relationships.
3/ 💌
Across cultures, adults do this too: feeding each other, sharing cups, ritual food/drink exchange—all reliably mark intimate “communal sharing” bonds.
This suggests humans have a widely shared intuition:
**Shared bodily substances = Closer relationship.**
Across cultures, adults do this too: feeding each other, sharing cups, ritual food/drink exchange—all reliably mark intimate “communal sharing” bonds.
This suggests humans have a widely shared intuition:
**Shared bodily substances = Closer relationship.**
January 3, 2026 at 11:21 AM
3/ 💌
Across cultures, adults do this too: feeding each other, sharing cups, ritual food/drink exchange—all reliably mark intimate “communal sharing” bonds.
This suggests humans have a widely shared intuition:
**Shared bodily substances = Closer relationship.**
Across cultures, adults do this too: feeding each other, sharing cups, ritual food/drink exchange—all reliably mark intimate “communal sharing” bonds.
This suggests humans have a widely shared intuition:
**Shared bodily substances = Closer relationship.**
2/
Infants 👼 appear to have core knowledge about social relationships.
Even babies treat *saliva sharing* and very close bodily contact as special cues of close relationships.
Infants 👼 appear to have core knowledge about social relationships.
Even babies treat *saliva sharing* and very close bodily contact as special cues of close relationships.
January 3, 2026 at 11:18 AM
2/
Infants 👼 appear to have core knowledge about social relationships.
Even babies treat *saliva sharing* and very close bodily contact as special cues of close relationships.
Infants 👼 appear to have core knowledge about social relationships.
Even babies treat *saliva sharing* and very close bodily contact as special cues of close relationships.