It seems like everyone is all about sex 24/7 and totally misses out on all the great bits that come before it (or never lead to it at aoo). Kissing feels amazing, for instance, and it also does some weird and wonderful things to your body. Not only will it get you turned on and make you feel closer to your partner, but it also has some pretty other profound effects.
- Kissing makes you happier. Ever felt a swing in your step after a make-out session? It’s not your imagination. Kissing actually releases chemicals that are known as “happy chemicals”: serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. All of these make you feel like you and your partner are bonding while also boosting feelings of euphoria. As a bonus, they lower the cortisol hormone that’s responsible for stress.
- Kissing lowers blood pressure. Having a high blood pressure reading is dangerous to your health as it’s linked to a variety of issues such as stroke and heart disease. All the more reason to include more kissing sessions in your relationship as these are scientifically proven to increase your heart rate, which in turn dilate your blood vessels. This means more blood can flow through your vessels, which decreases blood pressure.
- Kissing improves your immune system. While you might top up on Vitamin C and get enough exercise to improve your immune system, you can also do that by locking lips with your partner. The reason? Kissing essentially makes you and your partner exchange saliva, which means you consume new germs that make your immune system stronger. Yeah, it sounds gross, but it’s good for you!
- Kissing lowers your cholesterol. It’s amazing to think that kissing a lot can help you to reduce your cholesterol levels, which you want to do to reduce your risk of health issues such as heart disease. A study from 2009 found that when couples kissed more frequently, they had better total serum cholesterol levels.
- Kissing burns calories. Okay, you might not want to cancel your gym membership just yet, but it’s good to know that kissing can help you burn your daily calories, and you’ll burn more if your kissing sessions are more vigorous and passionate. You can expect to burn between two and 26 calories every minute.
- Kissing strengthens the facial muscles. While you might not be able to get a toned face just by working your facial muscles, a bit of a facial workout is always a good thing. You can easily use around 30 muscles in your face when you kiss someone, so it’s like a mini workout that can help to prevent saggy muscles.
- Kissing screens your partner. A kissing session with someone can help you determine if they’re right for you or not. One of the brain cortex’s functions is detecting sensations from the tongue, nose, lips, and cheeks. Five of the 12 cranial nerves monitor data from around the mouth, so the mouth can detect a variety of sensitive feelings, like the most delicate and subtle smells and tastes, that can make you feel good (or not) about your partner.
- Kissing can lead to orgasms. If you battle to orgasm during sex, add some kissing to the mix. Research has found that deep kissing your partner can help you to experience an orgasm. So, it’s definitely worth trying if you can’t seem to get pleasure in the bedroom.
- Kissing can make you sneeze less. If you battle with allergies, you should pucker up more. It’s been found that kissing can alleviate allergic reactions, such as those related to dust mite allergies. Now you know!
- Kissing makes you wake up. Earlier, we mentioned how kissing can help to increase your heart rate and blood flow. This has another benefit: it makes you more alert. Hmm, maybe it’s a good idea to replace your delicious cup of coffee with a smooch session!
- Kissing can prevent cavities. Kissing might be able to keep the dentist away. When you kiss, you encourage more saliva production in your mouth. The result? Food particles that can get stuck to your teeth and cause cavities are removed, allowing you to enjoy better oral health (although you should keep flossing and brushing, FYI).
- Kissing changes how you see things. You might already know that kissing makes you want to get up close and personal with your partner, but research has found that when people in a relationship kiss each other regularly, this makes their feelings about the relationship become positive.
