As the world becomes driven by technology, loneliness and isolation is on the rise. It is becoming harder for people to connect with others because of the many distractions created by this digital age. Life keeps getting busier – leading us to rush things in our day to day life. We will rush to work – rush our meals – rush to get ready – and unfortunately, rush to have sex to get to the end “o” goal. Lack of true connection in intimacy can lead couples to face detachment in their relationship after longer periods of time. After the honeymoon phase is over, routine kicks in and couples tend to kiss shorter amounts of time- sadly, kissing becomes used as an initiation for sex.
Kissing is a form of communication, couples can feel compassion and gratitude from one another, it can also show disconnect. Kissing can not only make your partner feel loved but it has many health benefits for the both of you.
“Kiss me, and you will see how important I am.” ― Sylvia Plath
CREATE A STRONGER CONNECTION
Oxytocin is a chemical linked to pair bonding. The rush of oxytocin released when you kiss causes feelings of affection and attachment. Kissing your partner can improve relationship satisfaction and may be especially important in a long-term relationship. This is a reason why casual relationships avoid a lot of kissing on their mouths to reduce the likelihood of bonding.
KISSING RELEASES FEEL-GOOD HORMONES
These chemicals include oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which can make you feel euphoric and encourage feelings of affection and bonding. It also lowers your cortisol (stress hormone) levels.
INCREASE BLOOD CIRCULATION AND LOWERS STRESS
Kissing reduces the stress hormone, cortisol. You might have noticed that kissing gets your heart pumping—and that’s a good thing. Your increased heartbeat causes your blood vessels to dilate, getting healthy amounts of blood to your organs and helps to reduce your blood pressure.
COMPATIBILITY WITH YOUR PARTNER
Other researchers note that kissing is biology’s way of determining who in nature you are most genetically compatible with. At the moment of the kiss, there are hard-wired mechanisms that assess health, reproductive status, and genetic compatibility. Open mouth kissing promotes salivary exchange. Saliva contains salts, minerals, and other substances that cause breath odor – These changes regulates your partner’s receptivity to procreative activities – meaning your body can decipher whether it’s a match because of the chemistry.
HIGHER SEXUAL AROUSAL
Saliva contains testosterone — a sex hormone that plays a role in sexual arousal. The longer and more passionately you kiss, the more testosterone gets released. Through open-mouth kissing, men introduced testosterone into a woman’s mouth, which is absorbed through the mucous membranes. This increases arousal and the likelihood that she will be more engaged and turned on. Romantic kissing leads to sexual arousal and is often the driving force behind a woman’s decision to have sex with someone.
BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
When you kiss someone on the lips you exchange bacteria. This can either make you sick, or it can help boost your immunity by exposing you to new germs that strengthen your immune system’s ability to fight these bacteria. A 2014 study in the journal Microbiome found that couples who kissed frequently were more likely to share the same microbiota in their saliva and on the surface of the tongue.
ORAL HEALTH
Kissing stimulates your salivary glands, which increases saliva production. Saliva lubricates your mouth, aids in swallowing, and helps keep food debris from sticking to your teeth, which can help prevent tooth decay and cavities.
BURN CALORIES
Using those facial muscles also burns calories. You can burn anywhere from 2 to 26 calories per minute depending on how passionately you kiss. This may not be the best workout regime if you’re trying to lose weight, but it sure is an activity where it is a win-win!
STRENGTHENS THE RELATIONSHIP
Romantic kissing, as well as other forms of physical contact, can strengthen feelings of attachment to the person you’re kissing, increasing the feeling of relationship satisfaction between romantic partners. And a 2013 study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that more frequent kissing was linked to couples’ perceived feelings about the quality of a relationship—namely, the more kissing, the happier they were—which was not the case for more sex.
Whether sex, kissing, or even hugging, these forms of affection have primal, biological roots that impact our bodies, typically in a beneficial way, even in the modern-day. So grab your partner today, give him or her a smooch, and embrace this fact: kissing can provide for a longer, healthier and, most would agree, more enjoyable life.
“A kiss seals two souls for a moment in time.” ~Levende Waters
Photography by Ben Lamberty
Resources
https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2049-2618-2-41
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10508-013-0190-1
https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/daily-ways-to-protect-your-teeth
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-testosterone
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/30/8-kissing-benefits.aspx#_edn1