why kissing is good for you
Kissing is biologically proven to make us feel good (Picture: getty)

Kissing is great.

Whether you’re giving a peck on the cheek or going full French, a kiss makes an impression.

Kissing exists in some form across ​​nearly every culture and society – and even chimps and bonobos can enjoy a smooch. 

This age-old practice is so integral to our lives that a whole day was made to celebrate it. 

International Kissing Day falls on July 6. It was introduced to remind people of the simple pleasures with kissing for kissing’s sake, as opposed to kissing as mere social formality. 

Gigi Engle, ACS, certified sex educator at 3Fun and author of All The F*cking Mistakes: a guide to sex, love, and life, agrees that kissing doesn’t get enough attention, adding that ‘it deserves its day in the sun.’

She adds: ‘Kissing may play an essential role in increased emotional closeness with a partner. And what’s more, extended kissing contributes to the creation of sexual arousal. This can lead both partners to want to escalate things to more than kissing. Not always, but it certainly plays a part.’

If you have stopped smooching your partner as often, cringe when a family member tries to plant one on you, or recoil at the thought of greeting your pals the European way, it may be time to reconsider. 

Why? Kissing is actually good for you.

It’s scientifically proven to boost your physical and mental health and build intimacy with people in your lives, which is great for your wellbeing – humans are social creatures after all.

‘The brain goes into overdrive’

Platonic kisses are great for making you feel closer, but they don’t bring the same feeling of intense pleasure that comes with a more passionate kiss, which sends the brain into overdrive, according to award-winning science communicator Emer Maguire. 

‘[The brain] dedicates a disproportionate amount of space to the sensation of the lips in comparison to much larger body parts,’ she told the British Council. 


This cocktail lights up the pleasure centres in the brain, the same that are hit when cocaine or heroin is taken. It leads to a feeling of euphoria that can be addictive. 

Oxytocin meanwhile is known as the ‘love hormone’ and makes us feel attached and affectionate towards our partner. It’s responsible for that warm giddy feeling. 

It’s also why we might feel really into a kiss with someone in a club and feel differently the next day when the chemical reaction has calmed down. 

Emer adds that ‘the levels of serotonin present in the brain whilst kissing look a lot like those of someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

‘No wonder the memory of a good kiss can stay with us for years.’

It helps us destress 

Alongside this chemical cocktail, kissing temporarily reduces our cortisol levels. This hormone is heightened when we feel stress, so this is your sign to kiss your main squeeze after a hard day.  

A side effect of this lowered cortisol could also help our self-esteem, as researchers in one 2016 study found that participants who were unhappy with their physical appearance had higher cortisol levels.

It boosts our immune system 

Did you know that as many as 80 million bacteria are transferred during a 10-second kiss? 

This is according to research published in the open-access journal Microbiome.  

Sounds gross, but this is great for your immunity. 

Why? The more diverse the germs in your gut microbiota, the stronger your immune system. 

Kissing helps you pick the right partner

Kissing plays a fundamental role in our attraction to a mate, Gigi says. 

Again, science has the answers. One common theory stipulates that when you kiss someone, your body evaluates genetic material like taste and smell and decodes if that person’s immune system is complementary to yours and would produce strong offspring. 

Women’s experience of kissing changes also depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle. 

Researchers for Human Nature found that women valued kissing most at the initial stages of a relationship and when they were most likely to conceive.

This has an evolutionary benefit: women biologically prefer men who display supposed signals of underlying genetic fitness, such as masculinized faces, facial symmetry, social dominance and genetic compatibility. Kissing a romantic potential partner at this time helps women assess these qualities. 

It helps reignite that spark 

Kissing is the easiest way to build sexual tension. When it goes well, this can ‘heighten the small, everyday interactions with your partner,’ Gigi says, by building an electric charge between you. 

Kissing is the water of the relationships, she reasons.

How? Well, she explains: ‘erotic desire is not stagnant. It’s kind of like a houseplant. A houseplant needs regular watering, sunshine, and TLC. Our relationships require regular attention and love if we want them to keep on thriving.’

Lastly, kissing someone doesn’t need to lead to sex, but many people worry that it is does, Gigi explains. 

She continues: ‘A theme I see often with my clients is one partner thinking that if they engage in physical intimacy at all with their partner, there is an implicit pressure to do more. If you just want to kiss and nothing more, say so. Boundaries should always be respected.’

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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