Kissing has been around ever since the first time that cave men and cave women accidentally touched their mouths together and found it pleasurable. Truthfully, that may not have been exactly how it all happened but, in theory, it makes sense as cave people seemed to have discovered most things by accident. However, there are very few people today that don’t enjoy kissing.
Typically, men view it as a way to get something they really want, while women could kiss all night long and do nothing else. Many people swear that they can tell if a connection is going work out or not just from that first kiss.
So everyone knows that kissing is fun and feels good. But did you know that kissing is also healthy? There are actually studies that prove this theory to be true. Following are some of the ways that kissing is good for you:
- Eases stress: There was a study conducted by scientists at Lafayette College that showed kissing reduces the levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. This suggests that kissing may help ease stress.
- Provides same benefits as meditation: Kissing can stop any buzzing in your head because you’re not focusing on anything except kissing. This lessens any anxiety and brings about some of the same physiological changes that you get during meditation.
- Helps men bond easier: Kissing can help men bond easier because it raises the levels of oxytocin in them. This is a chemical that has an effect on bonding. Lafayette College researchers found that kissing makes bonding more interesting to men.
- Keeps teeth healthy: This may be a new one to you, but it’s been shown that extra saliva from kissing helps to clear bacteria from your teeth. This, in turn, helps to break down plaque.
- Boosts your immune system: While this hasn’t actually been proven scientifically, there are many experts that firmly believe in the benefits of sharing germs. In certain ways, this may add strength to your own immune system.
- Exercise facial muscles: French kissing involves a great deal of tongue action that effect 29 muscles in your jaw and cheeks. All of this exercising just might help you keep your face young looking.
- Burns calories: Kissing passionately burns 2 calories per minute. This is double the metabolic rate. It makes you start thinking when you see those fashionably thin people.
- Stimulates the brain: It has been discovered that kissing activates a very large part of the brain. This leads to euphoric feelings and increases your sex drive.
It’s rather easy to see that a kiss can be a powerful act. Even more interesting is the fact that as a good kiss gives you lots of benefits, a bad kiss will let you know that you’re just not meant to be with someone. In fact, Helen Fisher, PhD, an anthropology professor at Rutgers University has stated that a kiss can act as a mate assessment mechanism. So, before you decide that someone is good or bad for you, be sure and engage in lots of kissing.