“The kiss on the forehead of destiny.” This is what Internet users called forehead kisses in the turbulent context of relationships. “When he kisses you on the forehead and you know that in less than 48 hours he will stop talking to you forever” It’s one of the memes that circulate on TikTok.
The fact that an affectionate gesture, once considered a sign of protection, is now interpreted as a condemnation that energizes relationships says a lot about the state of the sentimental panorama. In the two decades that passed between the release of small towns AND The summer I fell in love, The way people appreciate kissing has changed very significantly. While in the series Clark Kent is the protagonist He constantly kissed his love interest on the foreheadsomething that on social media her fans consider a silent and tender way to make her understand that he will always take care of her, the kiss on the forehead that one of the brothers from the series based on Jenny Han’s trilogy gives to the protagonist has countless videos on TikTok that they consider an unmistakable sign that their love story has no future.
“As casual dating becomes normalized, the line between meaningful and superficial displays of affection becomes increasingly blurred. Promises to meet in the future, compliments, and even kisses on the forehead can no longer be interpreted literally as signs that the relationship is going well. In fact, they may be an omen that the relationship is going well. ghost It’s just around the corner.” write inside Stunned and confused Isabel Bekele. “The most interesting (and tragic) thing about the kiss on the forehead as a symbol of misfortune is its apparent universality. It seems that many young people have a horror story linked to this type of kiss, and every video on the topic generates countless comments that identify them with their own experiences”, adds the journalist, who attributes this to the fact that in an era in which casual relationships are imposed, those who start a relationship usually do so by supporting the so-called situations (romantic or sexual relationships not considered formal or consolidated). Therefore it is difficult to understand the true meaning of certain displays of affection.
“In another time perhaps these small moments of intimacy were a sign of love. Today they are the countdown before a detonation,” he underlines. Therefore, inside a video which accumulates 5.5 million views and analyzes the meaning of each type of kiss, when at the beginning he says that a kiss on the forehead means that this couple will always be together, an Internet user named Claire Rollinson makes a revealing comment. “He kissed me on the forehead and left me three days later!” he says. Another named Tami Roper Attebery is clear: “A kiss on the forehead is the couple’s way of sealing the end of the relationship.” And that’s when a man named Zech Rhoads agrees with them: “The last kiss I gave him was on the forehead. And that was the end… we went from lovers to strangers.”
“Although I don’t think a kiss on the forehead is an indicator that things are going badly, if we only receive brotherly attention from our partner, there is clearly a table leg that is not there. Your partner may suddenly generate rejection in you and you will surprise yourself by giving him an almost virginal kiss. The body reacts in a ministerial way so that you can perceive what is happening. There are also people who use it as a defense mechanism, people who are quite avoidant and suddenly develop this gesture to escape. In In short: It is important to see where it comes from. At a certain point you can kiss your partner on the forehead out of care and love without a sexual tone, but you have to pay attention to the signals”, explains Lucía Jiménez, sexologist from. Different.
For her part, Eva Moreno, sexologist, couples therapist and founder of Tapesex, makes a nuance: “In a relationship there must be a horizontal relationship and in this type of kiss verticality is imposed, because someone kisses from above. When you kiss on the forehead you avoid contact in the juiciest areas. Even on the hand it would be much more erotic than on the forehead. Who gives you a kiss like that? A father, a priest…”, she assures. “What we need to do is activate the satellite dish to see other signals. If not only kisses on the forehead prevail, but there is no longer emotional contact, if sexual activity has decreased or if the partner has not put his tongue to the neck for a long time, there are other symptoms. We must also take into account that the other person is going through a complicated period of stress or illness, so perhaps the partner has become more attentive. We need to analyze what elements there are in the relationship that may indicate that it is no longer a relationship horizontal, but which for some reason has become vertical,” he comments.
THE trainer Relationship expert Jackie Dorman sees this type of kiss differently. “Kisses on the lips don’t mean much, while kisses on the forehead are a promise. Don’t go around kissing anyone on the forehead. A kiss on the forehead is often interpreted as an unspoken promise of protection, a sign of affection, affection, honor and respect. It can be from a father to a son, from a man to a woman or vice versa, but it means a lot to the person receiving it, so don’t do it if you don’t mean it,” writes.
What is clear is that, with the dating landscape being so complicated and turbulent, there are no clear rules about what certain gestures mean, which forces people to overanalyze their partner’s gestures in an attempt to gain some control in an admittedly uncontrollable landscape. AS he explained to EL PAÍS THE psychologist Elena Daprá“in a context of hyperproductivity and disenchantment with traditional models, both situations how the commitment to stable bonds reflects the need to find meaning and depth in emotional life, showing that, ultimately, the desire for authentic love continues to be the engine of the search for relationships in new generations”.
For some, the kiss on the forehead is a profound sign of love and, for others, the prelude to love ghosttherefore, as the experts consulted underline, the only solution is to pay attention to the signs and assume that in times of fluid relationships that avoid labels and rules, asking the “couple” if everything is okay is the best formula to know if that kiss on the forehead is a Judas kiss to Cupid.
