Kissing is an intimate act of affection and connection between two people involving pressing one’s lips to the lips or other body part of another person. Lip kissing specifically refers to kissing someone on the lips, and is perhaps the most intimate and passionate form of kissing. Lip kissing has many benefits beyond just being an expression of love and desire. Let’s explore some of the top benefits of lip kissing below.
Increases Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a hormone released in the brain that promotes feelings of bonding, attachment, and intimacy. Lip kissing boosts oxytocin levels, creating feelings of closeness and affection between two partners. In one study, couples who spent an additional 6 seconds kissing hello and goodbye saw increases in relationship satisfaction. The oxytocin released when lip kissing helps strengthen emotional bonds between romantic partners.
Lowers Stress
Lip kissing also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is released in response to stressful situations. The act of kissing floods the brain with feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, reducing anxiety and relaxing the body. Kissing is an effective way to calm down and decompress from a stressful day. Studies show cortisol levels decrease after kissing, promoting an overall sense of wellbeing.
Boosts Your Immune System
Believe it or not, kissing can also boost your immune system! When two people kiss, they exchange between 10 million and 1 billion bacteria between their mouths. This sounds unappealing, but it actually exposes you to new bacteria that can strengthen your immune system. The microbes exchanged during kissing enter your body and cause your body to produce more antibodies to various diseases. So pucker up – kissing might just help you fight colds and flu this season!
Burns Calories
A hot makeout session provides some unexpected health benefits. Kissing burns 2-3 calories per minute. A vigorous kiss session for an hour could burn around 120-180 calories. While a little lip locking won’t replace your workout, it does provide some minimal calorie-burning benefits. Plus, kissing incorporates muscle movements in the shoulders, arms, and face which provide exercise for these body parts. An active kissing session can be considered a light form of exercise.
Improves Your Mood
Kissing activates pleasure centers in the brain that lift your mood. The tactile stimulation of lip kissing sends signals to your brain that flood your body with feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These chemicals ease pain while elevating your mood. People often feel happier and more optimistic after kissing their partner. The mood-boosting chemicals released during kissing can even help depression. Kissing is a natural anti-depressant that can improve mood disorders.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Die-hard romantics will be pleased to know that kissing has heart health benefits. Kissing dilates your blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. The dilated blood vessels increase blood flow throughout your body while reducing blood pressure. Opening your blood vessels also improves heart rate variability, which is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. Overall, kissing improves circulation and promotes a healthy heart.
Alleviates Cramps and Headaches
The feel-good endorphins released from kissing can provide pain relief for certain conditions. Many women report kissing helps alleviate menstrual cramps and headaches. The surge of endorphins serves as a natural pain killer that blocks pain signals to the brain. Endorphins also enhance your sense of well-being, taking your focus away from the pain. Try kissing when you have a headache or cramps for some natural pain relief.
Improves Self-Esteem
Being kissed boosts your attractiveness and self-esteem. A 2013 study revealed that being kissed by a partner improved self-esteem more than already having high self-esteem. Kissing serves as validation of your attractiveness and desirability to a partner, elevating your confidence and self-image. Kissing also makes you feel accepted by your partner. This feeling of validation through kissing gives an ego boost and improves self-esteem.
Burns Calories
Let’s break down the calorie-burning impact of kissing:
| Duration of Kissing | Calories Burned |
|---|---|
| 1 minute of passionate kissing | 2-3 calories |
| 5 minutes of kissing | 10-15 calories |
| 10 minutes of kissing | 20-30 calories |
| 30 minutes of kissing | 60-90 calories |
| 1 hour of kissing | 120-180 calories |
As shown in the table, the longer you kiss, the more calories you can burn. While kissing doesn’t burn nearly as many calories as a vigorous cardio or weightlifting routine, it does provide some minimal calorie-burning benefits. An hour-long kiss session can torch off around 120-180 calories. Over time, all those burned calories from kissing can add up!
Increases Sexual Arousal
Lip kissing jumpstarts the senses to increase passion and sexual arousal between partners. Kissing awakens tactile receptors all over the lips and tongue, flooding your brain with sensations. This triggers arousal and awakens sexual desire. Kissing gets you physically and psychologically ready for sex. The oxytocin released while kissing promotes intimacy and connection. Kissing also allows you to get up close and personal with your partner’s scent and taste, which further amplifies arousal. Kiss long enough, and it naturally transitions into foreplay and sex.
Improves Oral Health
Your dentist may not mention this, but kissing benefits oral health too. The extra saliva produced while kissing washes away plaque and bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. Swishing saliva while kissing replenishes moisture in your mouth, stimulating saliva production and circulation. Increased saliva production helps cleanse your mouth, freshening breath and preventing tooth decay. Just don’t forget to brush and floss as well!
Stimulates Facial Muscles
Puckering up works out the underlying muscles in your face. The vigorous muscle movements involved in kissing tone and tighten facial muscles. Kissing fully engages the tongue and jaws while utilizing various facial expressions. Puckering your lips during a kiss provides isometric resistance that tones orbicularis oris muscles around the mouth. Overall, all the playful facial gestures and expressions while kissing give your face a workout.
Conclusion
Kissing provides a multitude of health benefits beyond just being a display of affection. Lip kissing boosts oxytocin and dopamine levels while lowering stress and blood pressure. The feel-good endorphins released while kissing elevate mood, ease pain, and enhance arousal. Kissing also provides minimal exercise benefits by burning calories and working facial muscles. On top of that, kissing benefits oral health by increasing salivation and washing away bad bacteria. Overall, lip kissing has many psychological and physiological health advantages that make it well worth doing on a regular basis. Pucker up and kiss someone today to reap all these amazing kissing benefits!