Kissing. You see it everywhere — on billboards, in magazines, on street corners. Kissing is now considered a universal language. Kissing someone, and the way you kiss someone, can imply all kinds of different things. You can tell when someone's enjoying a kiss, and you can certainly tell when someone isn't. Although kissing might seem like one of the most common actions you can rely on in this world, there's actually quite a few weird things that happen when you kiss. But, it's to be expected. After all, your mouth is pretty much the gateway to the rest of your body, so it's only natural that when you subject it to another mouth, some crazy stuff starts to go down.
From the chemicals that release in your brain from a simple touch of your lips to another set of lips to the awesome medical benefits, kissing is by far one of the coolest ways to pass your time — even if you don't know it yet. To find out just how weird and cool kissing really is, read on below. And don't be afraid to share your practical kissing knowledge with the next set of lips your mouth graces. After all, what's the only thing better than a kiss? An educated kiss.
1Your Adrenaline Levels Spike Pre-Kiss
When you're anticipating a kiss, your brain triggers norepinephrine, the stress hormone. In The Science of Kissing, Sheril Kirshenbaum explains that the spike in the hormone explains the nerves you feel while you're leaning in for the smooch.
2You're Less Stressed Out
Once your lips lock, your stress levels go down. NBC News reported on a study done at Lafayette College, which found that your brain's levels of cortisol drop after you get that initial kiss.
3You Feel Lovey Dovey
As Shape noted, oxytocin, is released when you kiss. That explains why you feel so starry-eyed and mushy after a good make out session.
4Your Heart Rate Increases
A good make out session can burn up to three calories a minute, according to Livestrong. So the next time you think you're wasting your time making out, think again. Turn it into a mini-cardio session and add in some heavy petting for an extra boost of burning calories.
5Your Face Gets A Workout
The American Journal of Medicine says, if you're kissing vigorously, you can use up to 34 muscles while kissing. Keep those cheek jaw muscles toned, ladies.
6Your Blood Pumps Harder
When you kiss someone, your body starts pumping blood faster and faster, according to Women's Health. Which helps explain why the rest of your body gets aroused when you're only using your mouth. Nipples, genitals, stomach — you name it, you're feeling it.
7Your Saliva Production Increases
Saliva production goes through the roof when you're kissing. And according to Women's Health, you wind up swapping about nine milliliters of spit with your partner.
8You Lose Your Appetite
Justin Lehmiller of Harvard University told the Purdue Exponent that kissing releases dopamine, which is known to suppress feelings of hunger. That explains why you're not concerned with food after you've swapped a smooch with your partner.
9You Lose Sleep
An increase of dopamine can also mess with your sleep schedule. According to Scientific American, dopamine increases the body's wakefulness. So no, you're not crazy. You're just hopped up on dopamine.
10You Get Addicted
If you can't stop thinking about your kissing session, you're not alone. Not necessarily because you're in love, but because dopamine is addictive. According to Slate, dopamine signals predicted rewards, and everybody loves a good reward. The more dopamine, the better you feel, and the more dopamine you want to access. Hence, addictive.
11You Build Immunity
Passing bacteria back and forth may seem like the opposite of what you want to be doing when hooking up, but it actually helps strengthen your immunity. A 2014 study in Microbiome found that just 10 seconds of french kissing can transfer 80 million germs from one person to another. But it's the best way to pass around germs, so that your body can develop an immunity to them.
