Kissing may be the most primal way we express affection with other humans.
We kiss babies on their adorable chubby faces, friends on the cheeks, and lovers on the lips
in demonstration of our feelings and desire for closeness.
Kissing may be one of the earliest evolutionary mechanisms for social bonding.
While there are plenty of obvious pleasures of smooching, there are also some remarkable
health benefits, backed by science.
How many times a day do you kiss another person?
Do you kiss them often and with love, or do you only kiss when it’s necessary?
If you aren’t quite free with the kisses, perhaps it’s time to be, as according to
various professionals, it’s not only good for us, it’s actually beneficial to our
well-being.
In fact, kisses can be quite healing possibly to all types of ailments.
Ok, lets dive in those amazing benefits:
1.
Kissing boosts your ‘happy hormones’.
Kissing triggers your brain to release a cocktail of chemicals that leave you feeling oh so
good by igniting the pleasure centers of the brain.
These chemicals include oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which can make you feel euphoric
and encourage feelings of affection and bonding.
It also lowers your stress hormone cortisol levels.
2.
Helps you bond with the other person.
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 long-term relationships.
3.
Can lower the blood pressure.
Your increased heartbeat causes your blood vessels to dilate, getting healthy amounts
of blood to your organs and helping to reduce your blood pressure.
Plus, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol which corresponds to low blood pressure.
4.
Kissing is good for your teeth.
According to Sivan Finkel, a cosmetic dentist in New York City, kissing leads to increased
saliva production, which helps our teeth rid themselves of harmful bacteria.
“The extra saliva helps remineralize teeth and protect them from acid attacks,” he
says.
5.
Can help delay signs of aging.
Another good reason to kiss as much as possible, is that can increase the blood flow to your
face and can stimulate collagen production and contribute to antiaging.
“In order to move your lips, your whole face has to get involved, which increases
elasticity," Dr. Neinstein says.
"The higher blood flow increases the number of small blood vessels helping to nourish
the machinery of the skin,” he says.
It also stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which is the substance “that
the beautiful skin is made of.”
6.
Could improve allergy symptoms.
One study suggests kissing could help lessen allergic reactions.
The researchers looked at patients with two types of allergies—one skin allergy and
one nasal allergy—before and after kissing their partner for 30 minutes.
After kissing, the patients saw less of an allergic reaction and symptoms.
7.
Kissing even burns 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.
As stated in the scientific study of kissing called “philematology”, simple kisses
use as few as 2 muscles and burn only 2 to 3 calories, whereas passionate kissing can
involve as many as 23 to 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles.
The act of kissing consumes between 5 and 26 calories per minute.
Kissing, regardless of whom you’re kissing, can have a positive impact on your emotional
and physical wellbeing.
Kissing makes both parties feel good about themselves and can help strengthen relationships
of all kinds, so kiss and kiss often.