Kissing, sucking, tongue boxing, French kissing... whatever you call it, kissing can be incredibly cute, sexy, and satisfying—or clumsy, rough, and disappointing. A kiss can be short and sweet or long and passionate. It can be a bird-like peck or resemble a vacuum cleaner running at full power.
When you really think about it, kissing is gross! You rub your lips together, open your mouth to suck on someone else's tongue and lips. You share saliva, bacteria, hot breath, and traces of whatever you just ate. Yet 90% of the world's population still kisses, and the vast majority of them love it.
Science can explain the pleasure of kissing.Our lips and tongues are packed with nerve endings that can make us feel dizzy and excited during a wonderful embrace. So no matter how bizarre kissing may seem, we do it often and constantly seek ways to do it as much as possible.
Here are 7 cold, hard facts about kissing you probably never knew.
1. Kissing is dirty, but not as dirty as shaking hands.
In a 10-second kiss, we exchange 80 million bacteria. Yes! A single kiss can contain 278 different types of bacteria. On the bright side, 95% of these bacteria are harmless. In other words, over the course of a day, we're more likely to get sick from bacteria picked up through handshakes. It makes you wonder if we should replace handshakes with kisses.
2. Men don't want to exchange saliva—they just want to give it.
Ever wonder why men love shoving their tongues down your throat? Evidence suggests saliva contains testosterone. Scientists speculate men may unconsciously try to transfer testosterone to their kissing partners to boost their sexual desire.
3. Kissing prevents cavities.
Speaking of saliva, here's a fun fact: kissing increases saliva flow in your mouth, helping wash away plaque and tartar that cause tooth decay.
4. Attractive men prefer kissing.
A University of Oxford study found that men who perceive themselves as more attractive and have more girlfriends place greater value on kissing. This may stem from attractive individuals having more options—and kissing serving as a means of evaluation.
5. Find kissing terrifying? That's called phobophobia.
Strange but true: we have a dedicated scientific term, "kissophobia," for people who fear kissing. The mere thought of kissing troubles them; in fact, seeing others kiss on screen can send them into full-blown panic.
6. Husbands who kiss their wives before work live longer and earn more.
A 1960s study in West Germany found husbands who kissed their wives before work lived an average of five years longer. Plus, they earned 20-30% more than those who didn't plant a peck on their partner before leaving home.
7. Skip kissing your wife, and God will punish you.But that same study uncovered a strange and intriguing link between kissing and driving: men who skipped the morning kiss had a 50% higher chance of getting into car accidents than those who kissed their wives before leaving. It makes sense, though: men who kissed their wives before work had a more positive mindset, making them less prone to negative thoughts and distractions—and thus better drivers.