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The idiom “kissing cousins” refers to distant relatives who are still considered acceptable spouses in some cultures. Cousin marriage has been used historically to maintain family status and wealth. While frowned upon in some parts of the US, many Western countries allow marriage between cousins. Research suggests that some level of inbreeding may have genetic benefits for the species, and marriages between more distantly related cousins are generally considered more acceptable.
Kissing cousins is an English idiom that generally refers to two or more things that are somewhat similar, but in a vague or distant way. The idiom probably derives from the practice of cousin marriage, in which two distant relatives marry and start a family. In some cultures, popular belief has long held that the practice of marrying a relationship could lead to physically or mentally handicapped children, due to the genetic effects of inbreeding. In cultures where cousin marriage is accepted, it is generally believed that marriages between first cousins should be avoided, as the partners may be too closely related to each other to produce healthy offspring. Marriages between second, third, and even more distant cousins, however, are often approved, so one might refer to one’s distant cousins as one’s “kissing cousins” because, in many cultures, these distant relationships may still be considered acceptable spouses.
The practice of cousin marriage is believed to have a long history around the world. Historically, and even today, powerful families have used cousin marriage to maintain the family’s status and assets. Marriage between two members of the same family tends to ensure that the family’s wealth remains within the family. In aristocratic families, cousin marriage was practiced as a way to prevent perceived contamination of the familial bloodline.
While the practice of cousin marriage is widely frowned upon and even illegal in some parts of the United States, it is known that most other Western countries allow the practice of marriage between cousins of any degree, even first degrees. Social taboos against first cousin marriage are believed to have arisen in the mid-19th century, when fears of birth defects due to consanguinity began to appear in the public consciousness. With the advent of modern genetics, however, researchers are finding that the risk of birth defects in children born to firstborn parents is generally low, comparable to the risk of birth defects in children born to unrelated parents over the age of 19. -35 years .
Some researchers have gone so far as to suggest that kissing cousin marriages may have genetic benefits for the species as a whole. An Icelandic study found that partners who kiss cousins often have more children. These children tend to be healthier and have more children of their own than the offspring of unrelated couples. Researchers believe this is because some level of inbreeding helps ensure the healthy development of the fetus. Couples who are kissing cousins may even get married earlier in life and start having children earlier than couples who aren’t related.
Some believe that, historically, most marriages have occurred between partners who were cousins. While marriage between first cousins may remain frowned upon in some parts of the West, marriages between more distantly related kissing cousins, as they are called, are generally considered more acceptable.
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