By Anja Opitz
This week we celebrate a very special day. The day of the kiss! Is there something like that? Yes, and rightly so.
Because kissing is not only passion and lust, kissing is healthy and makes you happy. When two pairs of lips meet lovingly, it triggers wonderful feelings: our body is flooded with hormones, billions of nerve cells are stimulated, the pulse quickens, blood pressure rises, our hands get sweaty – within seconds we feel love, Pleasure and passion.
“Kissing is the most intense form of physical encounter, the erotic hit,” confirms Berlin couples therapist and author Dr. Wolfgang Krüger (74, “That’s how love works”, BoD, 13.90 euros). “When kissing, we use all our senses: we feel, taste, see, hear and smell the other person. You should experience this unique explosion of the senses as regularly as possible.”
Pleasant side effect of the pleasant occupation: She is very healthy!
Kissing reduces stress
With lip contact, hormones that trigger feelings of happiness and the bonding hormone oxytocin are released – and at the same time the stress hormone cortisol is switched off. That’s why we feel so relaxed during and after kissing.
July 6th is International Kissing Day Photo: Adobe Stock
Kissing is good for your teeth
Kissing stimulates saliva production – and the minerals calcium and phosphorus contained in saliva harden the enamel. This protects against tooth decay.
Kissing strengthens the lungs
When we kiss, we increase from around 20 breaths per minute to around 60. This increases the supply of oxygen and strengthens the lungs.
Kissing strengthens the immune system
A French kiss that lasts ten seconds transfers 0.74 milliliters of saliva containing 80 million bacteria. Sounds gross, yes, but it’s as healthy as a vaccination! When the foreign body penetrates, the immune system is activated and defense cells are formed.
Kissing makes you slim
A normal kiss burns about 12 calories per minute, while a passionate French kiss burns up to 20. That may not sound like much, but a few heartfelt kisses will burn a candy bar in the sweetest way imaginable.