Everyone enjoys a good smooch and today is the day for it; International Kissing Day.
Yes, we know that there’s an ‘international day’ for everything, but we reckon that kissing is a pretty important thing to celebrate.
Not only are kisses the start of beautiful relationships, sometimes amazing friendships and even true love, but a kiss can change a life, a perspective or a bad day. They may not always look pretty, but kissing is an integral part of human life.
I sometimes think it’s sad that kissing becomes less of a thing as you get older, probably because you’ve done a lot of kissing and it’s less of a novelty. But just for a moment, in celebration of International Kissing Day, let’s appreciate this weird form of physical affection that we perform on the people we like (or find sexy).
Not only is it fun, kissing also has many physical and mental health benefits. Here are just some of the reasons why kissing is good for you:
Reduces blood pressure
Kissing is basically a heart workout. You know when you’re mid-kiss and you can physically feel your heart beating? A passionate kiss gets your heartbeat revved up in a healthy way, which actually helps to lower your blood pressure by dilating your blood vessels.
Boosts self-esteem
Kisses have definitely cured a bad day for me personally, and I think it’s probably true for others. Kissing someone you like is a good reminder that they like you too and can honestly give you some sexual energy fuel to run on endorphins all day. One German study actually found that men who got a nice juicy kiss from their wives before leaving for work made more money. Kissing makes you feel loved and connected, which are things we all search for endlessly.
Gets rid of cramps and headaches
Apparently, the blood dilation that occurs while kissing actually helps to reduce aches and pains. If you have period cramps or a headache, kissing can be the last thing on your mind because we all know that aches don’t make you feel sexy. But, maybe they can. Next time you are suffering from bad cramps or headaches, try a make-out sesh. If nothing else, it will take your mind off it.
Cleans your teeth
This may be a bit too graphic, but we’re going there. When we kiss, our mouth produces more saliva, which may sound gross but is totally necessary. Have you ever experienced a dry-mouth kiss? Let’s hope not. Saliva is actually the most effective and natural mechanism for cleaning the plaque off our teeth, which yes, means that kissing cleans our teeth.
Gives you a facelift
Kissing keeps your jaw and neck muscles, along with many other facial muscles we probably don’t know about, active. Maybe that’s why Europeans age so beautifully; because they never stop kissing.
Burns calories
Everything burns calories if you do it frequently and long enough, but kissing has got to be by far the most enjoyable method. According to author of Kissing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One of Life’s Sweetest Pleasures, Andréa Demirjian, a vigorous make out session can burn 8 – 16 calories.
Is a barometer for sexual compatibility
You don’t need to watch an episode of Sex and the City to know that a kiss often determines how good someone will be in bed. If your mouths entwine well, chances are that your bodies will too. A good kiss can make or break a new relationship, so we reckon it’s good to plant one on them as soon as you feel comfortanle. And seeing as today is International Kissing Day, there’s no time like the present.
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