11 fun facts about kissing – DW – 07/06/2021 (2024)
1. A normal kiss burns 6.4 calories per minute.A passionate kiss can burn up to 20 calories per minute.
2. Today, an average kiss lasts more than 12 seconds. In the 1980s, couples came up for air sooner than that: back then an average kiss lasted a mere 5.5 seconds.
3. Public kissing isn't always allowed everywhere. It's forbidden to kiss women in public on a Sunday in Michigan and Connecticut - these US states take the Day of the Lord quite seriously. In the subway in Turkey's capital Ankara, passengers are expected to adhere to "moral rules." A kissing Turkish couple spied on by security cameras was officially warned.
4. With an average of four kisses per person and day, Germany ranks second behind Sweden on the list of countries that are stingy kissers. People in France and Italy do much better: they kiss an average of seven times per day.
5. Researchers study kissing in a field of science called philematology. They've discovered two out of three people tilt their heads to the right when kissing.
6. Doctors are totally enthusiastic about kissing because it strengthens our immune system and slows down the ageing process. Just thinking about a kiss increases the flow of saliva, which in turn loosens plaque.
7. Smooching is great for road safety, too. Researchers found that people who hit the road freshly kissed are much less aggressive. They say that results in fewer accidents. But kissing while driving is not a good idea - please keep an eye on traffic!
8. People kiss in 90 percent of the countries worldwide. How and why differs from one country to the next. Three cheek kisses are a standard welcome in France, while in Japan, people only kiss if both parties want sex.
9. As affectionate gestures go, kissing is not just a social behavior we've developed over the centuries - it's an instinct we can observe in orangutans and other primates as well. Geese express affection by touching beaks, and elephants put their trunks into each others' mouths.
10. Kissing stimulates more than 100 billion nerve cells, while happiness hormones and adrenaline course through our bodies, letting our hearts beat faster. Blood pressure and body temperature rise, too.
11. A great deal of swapping goes on in a kiss: 60 milligrams of water, 0.5 milligrams of protein, 0.15 milligrams of gland secretion, 0.4 milligrams of salt and up to 22,000 bacteria.
A kiss uses 146 muscles, 34 of which are facial muscles and 112 postural muscles. A team of British researchers studied kissing couples under an MRI scanner to come to these findings. That sounds like serious facial exercise! And it is because kissing burns calories.
The term 'French kiss' came into the English language after British soldiers saw how passionately the French kissed while visiting during World War I. On average, two-thirds of people tip their heads to the right when they pucker up. Humans aren't the only animals that kiss.
Kissing can transmit many germs, including those that cause cold sores, glandular fever and tooth decay. Saliva can transmit various diseases, which means that kissing is a small but significant health risk. It's not all doom and gloom. Research into passionate kissing has uncovered many valuable health benefits.
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.
Dopamine is released when you do something that feels good, like kissing and spending time with someone you're attracted to. This and other “happy hormones” make you feel giddy and euphoric. The more you get of these hormones, the more your body wants them.
- Kissing can boost your immune system. When you kiss someone, you exchange saliva and bacteria, which may sound gross, but actually helps your body fight off infections. ...
Kiss someone when you feel ready, regardless of how old you are. Around ages 12-15, people often start having their first kiss. Don't feel pressured by other people your age kissing people, and don't rush into kissing someone if you are apprehensive. You'll know intuitively when the time feels right.
"For one, there's a lot of nerve endings on the neck, so it's super pleasurable,” says Morse. Plus, it's a super sexy extension of a make out. I mean, think about it: Your partner loves your body so much, they want to kiss every inch of it. It's like your upper body's cl*tor*s!
Kissing is generally a low-risk activity compared to anal, oral, and vagin*l sex. Still, STIs, such as herpes, HMV, HPV, and syphilis, may transmit through active lesions or saliva. Most oral STIs go away on their own. Taking pain relievers and gargling salt water may help treat oral herpes and CMV.
It all comes down to activities that boost oxytocin in the brain, he says. Kissing for at least 6 seconds or hugging for 20 seconds both trigger the release of oxytocin, which helps couples bond and feel trusting of each other.
Lips may have evolved first for food and later applied themselves to speech, but in kissing they satisfy different kinds of hungers. In the body, a kiss triggers a cascade of neural messages and chemicals that transmit tactile sensations, sexual excitement, feelings of closeness, motivation and even euphoria.
A passionate kiss can spike the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is linked to feelings of craving and desire. Oxytocin, known as the `love hormone', fosters a sense of closeness and attachment. Adrenaline boosts our heart rate and can make us start sweating as our bodies begin to anticipate what might occur later.
“Kissing influences neurotransmitters and hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which also play a significant role in our relationships,” Kirshenbaum says. Oxytocin, for example, is linked with feelings of closeness, intimacy, and security. Showing affection with people you love can boost oxytocin.
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