The Science of Kiss

Butterflies are flying all over your stomach and your heart is about to pump out from your chest, you’re staring the other eyes in front of you and wondering if they are as nervous as yours, your hands are sweating as getting closer and closer with your lips to other lips…

…wait, why do we even kiss?

The feelings that kissing consists are familiar to most of us. The excitement, warmness and good feeling that might fill your whole body when you are even thinking about kissing someone you want to. But have you ever thought about the science behind it? One of the reasons takes you away from the romantic side of kissing; it’s a good way to exchange bacteria that can boost your immunity. It gives you a great reason to kiss, as the 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. How frequently? At least nine times per day.

Brain’s reward system is activated by kissing and it releases “The love hormone”

But there is more, of course. You know the feeling with someone new when the first signs of love or attachment are showing up and you’re head over heels? Your brain is giving you a gift through these emotions that make you feel euphoric; it’s providing you with “happy hormones”. One of them, Dopamine, is released when you do something that feels good, like kissing and spending time with someone you’re attracted to. Another one that plays a role in social bonding, sexual reproduction is oxytocin, “The love hormone” that bonds romantic partners to each other. So kiss, cuddle, be close with someone and enjoy the free doses of good feelings. Close your eyes and enjoy to the fullest…

…just a moment, WHY do we close our eyes?

This comes down with senses. You know when you’re trying to find your friend in a loud concert and you easily miss your phone vibrating in your pocket? This is explained with that humans aren’t that good at using all their senses simultaneously. So, basically, when you are kissing someone, your brain gets more out of it when you close one sense; eyesight. It explains also why you close your eyes when you’re enjoying something like good music or some amazing food. So more important than seeing the kiss, is feeling the kiss.

Not all the kisses are romantic or related to sex

…but it always feels good. When you press your lips even against warm skin or especially other lips, you can explain the good feeling that your lips have a lot of nerve endings. So trough out history, kisses have always been present, why? Maybe it just feels so damn good and the gesture type of kisses tights us closer together. So whether you kiss for love, for luck, for hello or goodbye, on the lips, cheeks, forehead, hand and you kiss a friend, a partner, a child, a mother or your cat, just remember to kiss!