The familiar double-lobed heart symbol seen on Valentine's Day cards and candy was inspired by the shape of human female buttocks as seen from the rear, according to a professor of psychology who studied the origin, history and symbolism of the Feb.14 holiday.
"The twin lobes of the stylized version correspond roughly to the paired auricles and ventricles (chambers) of the anatomical heart," Pranzarone said, but added that the organ "is never bright red in color" and its "shape does not have the invagination at the top nor the sharp point at the base."
Pranzarone indicated that the ancient Greeks and Romans could have originated the link between human female anatomy and the heart shape. The Greeks, he said, associated beauty with the curves of the human female behind.
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Posted by: El Bizarro | bizarro.typepad.com | Thu Feb 16 15:16:37 2006
I remember a lecturer in semiotics once telling us that it resembled another piece of the female anatomy, namely the clitoris. Nice to remind us what it's actually all about rather than the sickly pop song notions of love and romance.