“Mom why do they kiss so much?” said my exasperated 10-year-old son. He was watching a cartoon film that had at least three kissing scenes. His latest observation from watching all these cartoon films is “the story has to end with a kiss, but why?” “Maybe there are some benefits of kissing,” I replied giggling.
Kissing is something that comes to us naturally and is the most spontaneous show of affection. Like a child feels secure in the tight hug of a mother which is followed by a long kiss on the cheek, in a man-woman relationship a long kiss on the lips is equally important to foster security, bonding and affection.
Related Reading: 10 Different Types Of Kisses You Should Experience At Least Once
Kissing is a gesture that is used to express passion and love. And the health benefits of kissing are amazing too. Kissing is considered to be a booster of mood, releaser of essential hormones and one of the best means to achieve a healthy and happy life. Kissing is good for your health.
Is It Healthy To Kiss?
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There is no doubt that kissing is perhaps the most exciting foreplay and it has the potential to make the sexual intimacy between the two people irresistible. However, kissing is much more than just a form of foreplay.
It is a means to express your affection to your mother, your children, your friends, etc. But in a sexually romantic relationship kissing allows one to check his/her compatibility with the partner. It helps build chemistry between two people.
According to a study, tilting the head to the right is the style of kissing followed by around two-thirds of the people in the world. 1 It is also interesting to note that a person kisses for only two weeks in his/her entire lifetime. 2. Around 10% of the world population displays other forms of affection, like nibbling, licking, etc., instead of kissing 3.
Kissing has a host of health benefits which help boost the physical, mental and emotional well being of the people. Just like sex has health benefits for both men and women, kissing is not behind.
The most economical and easy way to bring positivity and happiness in your life is by kissing your loved ones and reminding them of the important place they have in your life.
Related Reading: He Was A Perfect Arranged Match Till I Tried To Kiss Him…
12 Amazing Benefits Of Kissing
It is time to move beyond the idea that people kiss each other just for fun and pleasure. The benefits of kissing and hugging are immense and one cannot ignore that. Why do we feel so happy after we kiss?
The biology of kissing says that when we liplock we release the hormone oxytocin and creates a reaction in the brain that lifts our mood instantly. Kissing also bonds two people, sometimes more than sex and helps to keep a couple motivated in a monogamous relationship. Kissing also releases serotonin that helps you feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
When two people are in love and they kiss they release dopamine. All these hormones are called happy hormones that are great for the mood.
Dopamine activates the same area of the brain that is targeted by heroine and cocaine, so kissing can really get addictive as well.
If people in a long-term relationship keep the kisses going then they reap the health benefits of kissing to a greater extent. The saliva exchanged during kissing helps greatly in sexual arousal and hence keeping two people more sexually active and compatible.
Here is a quick look at the 12 health benefits of kissing your loved ones.
1. Kiss to get rid of those extra calories
No need to hit the gym to reduce weight and to look fit. Just spend even a minute kissing your loved one and you are bound to lose 6 calories 4.
Imagine the number of calories a vigorous kissing session with your partner will help you reduce. Kissing increases the metabolism of your body, due to which burning of extra calories takes place very conveniently with less effort. Could you imagine kissing could actually have a health benefit like this?
2. Say bye to headaches and pains
When you kiss, the tension on your nerves and blood vessels is relieved, as a result of which the blood circulation in the body improves. Once the tension is relieved and your blood vessels dilate, pains, headaches and other forms of cramps in your body can be taken care of easily.
As we mentioned earlier serotonin helps you feel relaxed and if you are feeling stressed for any reason it can help greatly. Kissing also has a positive impact on your mood swings. So kiss your loved one when he/she suffers from body pain and vice versa.
3. Kissing can make you look younger
It is scientifically known that a kiss involves the use of around 112 postural muscles and 34 facial muscles.5 While kissing, the muscles become trained and toned in such a manner that you tend to look much better and younger than your usual self.
Your facial skin appears much healthier. Even your jawline and neck get shaped for the better if you indulge in kissing. And you don’t have to try the same kiss every time, there are many different types of kisses you could enjoy while reaping the benefits of the liplock. Did we tell you neck kissing is both affectionate and sexual?
Related Reading: My First Kiss: 5 Thoughts A Girl Has After Her First Liplock
4. Kissing can improve the health of your teeth
The acidity associated with teeth cavities is neutralised with the increased production of saliva in the mouth because of the sensation of kissing.
Plus, the plaque that is build up in the mouth is also washed away due to the increased saliva. The mineral salt contents in the saliva usually help protect the tooth enamel.
And when you know you have someone to kiss you are more careful about oral hygiene. So that’s great for you, isn’t it?
5. A kiss to relieve stress and to get rid of depression
Whenever you feel bogged down with the responsibilities and pressures of life, you must be around your loved one and even kiss him/her if possible.
Kissing will release chemicals like oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, etc., which help relieve stress and get rid of sadness in your life. Once you are free from stress and depression then only you can think about having a healthy life.
6. Kissing can boost the health of your heart
Since kissing helps relieve stress, it can surely boost the health of your heart, because stress is often considered to be the root cause of heart diseases.
Along with that, cholesterol levels are also reduced due to kissing, and the dilation of blood vessels during the act of kissing helps lower blood pressure as well. So all in all, kissing leads to a healthy heart.
Related Reading: 5 Emojis Guys Send Their Girl When In Love
7. Say ‘hi’ to healthy lungs
Is kissing healthy? Yes, it is. It is obvious that your breathing becomes faster when you kiss another person. This means that you inhale and exhale around 60 times in a minute instead of the normal 20 times 6.
The conclusion that can be drawn from this scientific fact is that the fast pace of your breathing prevents various kinds of lung disorders and improves the health of your lungs.
8. Boost your immunity by kissing your loved one
In the process of kissing your loved one, you tend to exchange around 10 million or 1 billion germs and bacteria 7 with each other. So as a reaction to germs and bacteria which are unknown to your immune system, antibodies are created in your body and thus you remain protected from different kinds of diseases.
Your immunity is boosted and you tend to live a longer, disease-free life due to kissing. So go ahead and kiss for good health.
9. Kiss to become more alert and focused
It is well known that kissing helps in secretion of different chemicals and two of them are adrenaline and noradrenaline. These two chemicals can make you not only excited but also make you more focused and alert so that you can deal with any situation whatsoever.
Your heart rate will tend to increase and your reaction timing will also increase due to the secretion of adrenaline while kissing and all this will ultimately enhance your focus.
10. Kissing can reduce the risk of allergies
The amount of immunoglobulin E produced by your immune system is decreased when you kiss another person as a result of which histamine is also not released in your body.
Histamine is a chemical that causes symptoms of allergy-like sneezing, watery eyes, etc. Therefore kiss your loved one and suffer from fewer allergies in your life. So when pollens or dust create havoc in your life just go ahead and kiss and get rid of your allergies.
Related Reading: Just because I kissed him in his apartment didn’t mean I was ready to have sex with him
11. Enhance your self-esteem and confidence by kissing
Your mental and emotional well being depends on the level of self-esteem and confidence that you are able to exhibit in your life. Kissing increases the production of oxytocin, which creates happy hormones, and this, in turn, helps boost your self-esteem.
Plus the connection that your partner and you feel for each other while kissing also enhances your confidence.
12. Kiss to live a long life
If you make it a point to kiss your loved one on a regular basis, then it will perhaps help both you and your partner live a long, prosperous and healthy life.
Study 8 revealed a very interesting fact that men who kiss their partners every morning tend to live five years longer than the other men who don’t. Can there be better health benefits of kissing?
It is high time that the true power of a kiss is realised and promoted in order to allow people to express love for each other while also leading a healthy and fit life.
FAQs
A lip kiss is important because it not only helps to foster affection, bonding and intimacy between two people it also helps in releasing hormones that make you happy and relaxed.
If you are keeping a watch on oral hygiene then kissing is the healthiest thing to do. It helps you not only keep great mental health, it keeps you away from heart and lung diseases, allergies and boosts your immunity.
The negative side effects of kissing are a few. You might end of exchanging bacteria and diseases while kissing. You can get cold sores, cavities or even HIV through kissing.
Dopamine activates the same area of the brain that is targeted by heroine and cocaine, so kissing can really get addictive as well.
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Totally agreed!
I feel Kissing is the best part of a relationship. Most of the people express their love with kisses, in fact, a kiss on the lip can deepen the bond between the two lovers. And yes, truly said, not only it is good for keeping your relationship healthy, but also it posses some amazing benefits to your health.
And you know what I feel is the best thing about kissing: When you can feel your partner smiling as you kiss each other. Kissing makes us smile more!
Totally agreed!
I feel Kissing is the best part of a relationship. Most of the people express their love with kisses, in fact, a kiss on the lip can deepen the bond between the two lovers. And yes, truly said, not only it is good for keeping your relationship healthy, but also it posses some amazing benefits to your health.
And you what I feel is the best thing about kissing: When you can feel your partner smiling as you kiss each other. Kissing makes us smile more!