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I can bet my left kidney that most of you reading this piece right now never knew that the supposedly romantic act of kissing has amazing medicinal properties. True. Should that not be the case, you wouldn’t have rushed to click on the article’s link as you did, would you?
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Anyways, now that you at least know that kissing transcends romance and finds useful application in the field of medicine, let me explain to you the 7 key health benefits of kissing and how they work.
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Here they are….
1. Reduces body weight: it is no news that one minute of kissing burns up to 2 calories of fat. A French kiss burns even more- up to 6 calories of fat. When done for up to 30 minutes or one hour regularly, you would be amazed with the results.
2. It lowers blood pressure: yes, kissing lowers blood pressure. But how? It improves blood flow to the heart and other organs by secreting chemicals which cause the blood vessels to become more dilated.
3. Boosts the immune system: remember I told you that the average person harbours about 20 billion bacteria in his or her mouth? Well, if the that person isn’t also harbouring any of the seven diseases I mentioned, kissing can be an extremely efficient way of reducing their numbers.
4. Reduces stress: kissing releases the hormone oxytocin which has been found to have a calming effect. Also, chemicals like endorphins dopamine which are secreted during kissing are known mood enhancers. And the good thing is, you don’t have to kiss for minutes or hours to achieve this effect. A 20 to 30-second kiss is sufficient to significantly relieve stress and enhance mood.
5. It fights skin allergies: studies have shown that a 30-minute kissing activity is enough to prevent the occurence or relieve the severity of skin allergies like wheals, allergic rhinitis, and a topic dermatitis. There are also a handful of studies which have suggested that kissing may actually lower the production of the chemical histamine, which plays a significant role on the occurence and exacerbation of respiratory allergies.
6. It prevents tooth decay: kissing increases salivation (i.e it improves the secretion of saliva). This saliva helps in neutralizing the effect of the acid produced from fermentation of sugars by bacteria in the mouth. The more saliva there is, the less acidic the saliva and the less likelihood of tooth decay.
7. Increased lifespan: a study conducted by some German physicians and psychologists has shown that couples who kiss regularly live longer than their non-kissing counterparts. Their study showed that married couples who kissed before leaving for their daily activities usually more safely, experienced less road traffic accidents, and generally had fewer arguments that would have caused their blood pressure to rise. So, yes, you can live longer when you kiss often.
NB: apart from the above, kissing has been shown to have a healthy effect on mental health. Kissing boosts confidence of the kissers, and confidence is good for maintaining a sound mental health.
Source: DoctorsHub Nigeria