8 Benefits of Kissing

Did you know about kissing’s power to lift the mood? Kissing stimulates the feel-good chemicals in the brain, mainly serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin…this is great news!

So what are the health benefits of kissing?

Kissing boosts your self-esteem by making you feel loved and connected. A German study even found that men who were kissed by their wives before leaving for work made more money.

Here are the eight benefits of kissing, according to Valerie Reiss:

1. Kissing helps reduce blood pressure
2. Kissing zaps cramps and headaches
3. Kissing fights cavities
4. Kissing amps up your happy hormones
5. Kissing burns calories
6. Kissing boosts self-esteem
7. Kissing can give you a facelift (kind of)
8. Kissing is a barometer for sexual compatibility

Much of her research is based on Andrea Demirjian, author of Kissing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One of Life’s Sweetest Pleasures

What About Hugging?

It turns out hugging has its own benefits. A research study at the University of North Carolina has found that hugging can dramatically lower blood pressure and raise levels of oxytocin, one of the feel-good hormones stimulated by kissing that helps a person chill out, relax, breastfeed, and orgasm, although not all at the same time. The women in the study that got more hugs from their husbands had much higher levels of oxytocin, and had systolic blood pressure that was 10 mm/Hg lower than women with low oxytocin levels.

So think about that the next time you want a lift in your mood — or your health!

Source: Psych Central