A kiss can convey passion and tenderness, but apart from awakening the good feels in our brain, kissing reveals other relevant information that travels to our brain when we kiss. According to scientific studies, when we kiss, we exchange a variety of information that we aren’t even aware of. Our brains analyze the way we kiss and make unconscious decisions that can seal the fate of our relationship.
These insightful studies really peaked our interests here at Bright Side, and we were really excited to learn that kissing allows you to communicate with your partner without you even knowing it.
Scientists from the University of Oxford thoroughly researched the secrets of kissing and found that it actually allows us to find, assess, and eventually keep the right partners for a long-term relationship.
According to their findings, kissing allows us to properly size up our partners and keep them when we’re in a relationship. Their studies also show that women are generally more selective and picky in choosing potential mates, and they value kissing more as a way to assess their partners.
Even if we’re not aware of it, we subconsciously evaluate our partner by analyzing their quirks and characteristics. Kissing also allows us to measure our partner’s fitness and overall health, and as we advance in the relationship, we continuously wonder whether the person we’re with is reliable.
The study suggests that women are more likely to evaluate their partner as the couple reaches the level of the relationship where they may expect a baby. According to this research, women place a greater value on activities that nurture long-term relationships, since raising a baby is obviously easier with both parents being present.
The study also suggests that while we kiss, we examine the level of the person’s health through their breath and taste. Naturally, bad breath or taste can potentially signal health concerns. Furthermore, when we kiss we also exchange an oily substance called sebum that is produced by the body’s glands.
We exchange this substance by touching the skin around and inside the mouth. And this substance contains pheromones, which reveal valuable information about a person’s biological makeup. In other words, it shows things that the 2 people kissing have in common.
Scientists also suggest that this substance reveals hormonal information which tempts the brain to wonder whether this person is healthy enough to start a family with. This is, of course, done subconsciously, and we don’t really think that we’re analyzing our partner, but that subconscious part of our brain massively impacts the way we behave, even though we don’t really understand how it works.
What’s interesting is that more than 60% of people admitted that they lost interest in a potential relationship after a bad first kiss. The brain literally analyzed the kiss and sent a message that this person is not the one, prompting the person to end the relationship. Kissing helps improve the attractiveness, but when we’re not happy with the kiss, it can make us feel repelled by our partner.
However, kissing a partner who we love is a great way to strengthen the relationship. Lips are filled with sensory nerves, and when we kiss our sweetheart, it prompts the brain to release the powerful hormone oxytocin, also known as the “love” hormone, that makes us feel happy.
Kissing a person that we love also boosts the production of serotonin, which is another feel-good chemical that increases intimacy and trust, allowing us to build a strong and healthy relationship. Also, kissing reduces the levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. And, according to studies, the bigger the production of these positive chemicals is, the more capable you are of growing your love.
So the next time you kiss your partner, remember that it’s not all just a fun and intimate moment between the 2 of you, but it’s also an integral part of growing a healthy and strong relationship.
What do you think about the information exchanged by kissing? Have you ever thought that locking lips could play such an important role in a relationship? Let us know what you think in the comments.