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Kiss Day: 12 ways kissing can keep you healthy and happy

There are many benefits of kissing including making your immunity stronger and giving you better oral health. This kiss day, know how this act of affection helps keep you healthy.
Published On: 13 Feb 2025, 04:00 pm IST
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View All Images A couple kissing
Kissing has a lot of health benefits. Image courtesy: Pexels

Your first kiss can give you quite the fluttery feeling in your stomach. Well, make sure to keep the kisses coming if you want to live a healthy and fulfilled life. Yes, while kissing is a great way to ignite romance in a relationship, there are also many benefits of kissing when it comes to your health and well-being. Regarded as the perfect act of love, passion, and intimacy, kissing can keep you healthier by making your immune system stronger, giving you better oral health as well as lower your blood pressure. What else? It can also help you become happier, and can even ward off depression. So, this Kiss Day, it might be time to pucker up and see what this does for you!

Is kissing healthy?

Yes, while kissing is a way to express love, there are many benefits of kissing when it comes to our health and well-being. “It lowers stress hormones, increases oxytocin, and triggers the release of feel-good hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. It strengthens the immune system and builds resistance against infections,” explains psychotherapist, psychologist Priyanka Kapoor.

A couple kissing
Kissing can help a couple come closer and have better communication. Image courtesy: Pexels

When it comes to being in a relationship, there are many benefits of kissing to consider. A report published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, states that romantic kissing in a sexual relationship helps to evaluate aspects of your partner’s suitability, to mediate feelings of attachment, as well as to facilitate arousal and initiate sexual relations.

12 benefits of kissing

Kissing is great for our health and can help us in many ways. Check out these benefits of kissing:

1. Boosts your mood

One of the biggest benefits of kissing is that it is quite a mood-lifter. Kissing releases dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, these are feel-good hormones that can help you feel better in no time. A study, published in the journal Advances in Biological Chemistry, states that dopamine is released when you do something that feels good. Like kissing and spending time with someone you are attracted to. This helps you feel euphoric. Oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, promotes bonding and emotional connection. Serotonin helps stabilise mood.

2. Reduces stress

Kissing plays a big role in reducing your daily stress. It helps to lower your cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone. This can make you feel calmer and more relaxed. So one of the best benefits of kissing is that it’s a natural way to relieve tension and anxiety. Also, the increasing levels of serotonin and oxytocin can combat feelings of loneliness and sadness, improving overall mental health.

3. Strengthens your immunity

Yes, kissing can help you fall sick less frequently. There are many benefits of kissing when it comes to your immune system. When you kiss, you exchange bacteria, which can help your body build natural immunity. A study, published in the journal Microbiome, states that shared salivary microbiota is witnessed in frequent and recent bacterial exchange that happens when two people kiss. This is most pronounced in couples with relatively high intimate kiss frequencies. This means that couples who kiss frequently may have a stronger immune response to common infections.

4. Improves blood circulation and lowers blood pressure

“Kissing dilates blood vessels, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure,” explains the expert. As we already know, one of the benefits of kissing is that it leads to higher oxytocin levels.

A study, published in the Western Journal of Communication, states that higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women. In the study, fifty-two healthy adults, who were in marital or cohabiting romantic relationships, were divided into two groups – experimental and control – for six weeks. Participants who were in the experimental group were instructed to increase the frequency of romantic kissing in their relationships and those in the control group received no such instructions. After 6 weeks, it was seen that those in the experimental group experienced improvements in perceived stress, relationship satisfaction, as well as total serum cholesterol.

5. Burns calories

Yes, one of the best benefits of kissing is that it can help you burn more calories. While it may not be a replacement for exercise, a passionate kiss can help you burn tangible calories per minute. The American Journal of Medicine, states that the act of kissing consumes between 5 and 26 calories per minute. 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, according to the study.

6. Helps to improve oral health

When it comes to oral health, kissing can do wonders. It increases the production of saliva and this can also help in washing away plaque and bacteria. This can, in turn, reduce the risk of cavities as well as gum disease. Saliva also contains substances that can ward off bacteria as well as fungi. However, good oral hygiene is still essential and should not be ignored.

7. Helps in anti-ageing

Be it preventing wrinkles or younger-looking skin, there are many benefits of kissing when it comes to anti-ageing. Besides burning calories, kissing also engages facial muscles, preventing wrinkles, explains the expert. Kissing someone can also lead to an increased blood flow to our lips and cheeks. This, in turn, can help you in looking youthful and healthy. It also strengthens our facial muscles, which can help prevent wrinkles from forming prematurely.

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8. Can offer pain relief

Yes, one of the best benefits of kissing is that it can help you with pain relief. The endorphins released during kissing act as natural painkillers, helping to reduce headaches and other aches and pains. Kissing leads to an increased blood flow and this may offer relief from period cramps and other menstrual cycle symptoms.

9. Strengthens emotional connection

When it comes to relationship building between two partners, there are many benefits of kissing. We already know that kissing triggers the release of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. This can lead to increased levels of trust, bonding, and emotional intimacy between partners. It helps couples feel more connected and secure in their relationship. “Couples feel closer and more connected when they kiss,” says the expert.

10. Can help to increase passion

Kiss more if you want to keep the spark alive in your relationship. A passionate kiss can reignite the desire and attraction in a relationship and help to keep the romance alive. It helps maintain physical intimacy, which is essential for a healthy and happy relationship. “Over time, kissing sustains passion and keeps the spark alive,” says the expert.

11. Helps in communication

While dialogue and discussions go a long way in a relationship, kissing does too. “Beyond physical well-being, kissing is essential for creating and preserving a solid emotional connection in a partnership,” explains the expert. Kissing is a nonverbal way to successfully communicate affection and feelings. It is a healthy expression of sexuality and helps to show your partner that you love them.

12. Helps in building happy relationships.

One of the most important benefits of kissing is that it keeps you happy in your relationships. “The degree of emotional intimacy and relationship health can frequently be inferred from the way people kiss,” says the expert. Kissing more often is associated with greater relationship happiness as well as satisfaction.

Are there any side effects of kissing?

Despite all of the advantages of kissing, there are still possible disadvantages to be aware of:

A couple kissing
Kissing can help you get stronger immunity. Image courtesy: Freepik
  • Infections such as the flu, mononucleosis (kissing sickness), the common cold, and even herpes can be spread through kissing if one partner has it.
  • An allergic response may occur if one partner has consumed an item to which the other is allergic, such as shellfish or almonds.
  • A bad smell and a higher risk of cavities or gum disease can result from poor dental hygiene.
  • Sometimes, intense or protracted kissing sessions might cause some jaw and neck strain or discomfort.

Therefore, more than just a romantic gesture, kissing has several health advantages, We see that there are many benefits of kissing such as increasing breathing rate, improving lung capacity, and enhancing sexual arousal. By reducing stress, improving circulation, and lowering blood pressure, kissing contributes to a healthier heart and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Although there are a few small hazards, a pleasant and secure experience can be guaranteed by practising proper dental hygiene and being aware of any medical concerns.

Disclaimer: At Health Shots, we are committed to providing accurate, reliable, and authentic information to support your health and well-being. However, the content on this website is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised advice regarding your specific medical condition or concerns.

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About The Author
Anjuri Nayar Singh
Anjuri Nayar Singh

Anjuri Nayar Singh has over 12 years of experience in writing for various topics including lifestyle, films, television and OTT. She also writes on art and culture, education and human interest stories.

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