Kissing may be one of the most wonderful ways of expressing love, affection, and happiness. Depending on who you're kissing, there are tons of different ways to do it — you kiss your kids much differently than you kiss your spouse.
But there are a lot of things I bet you don't know about kissing (I know I was surprised!). Read on to learn some surprising things about smooching!
-
Kissing is really, really good for you — We all know kissing FEELS good, but did you know it's good for your health too? Yep! Kissing improves skin, helps our blood circulate, prevents cavities, and can even relieve those pesky headaches! So don't use the whole "I have a headache" excuse the next time you want to get down and dirty!
-
Kissing gets you high — The endorphins (our body's natural painkillers) released during a make-out session are reported to be a whopping 200 times more powerful than a dose of morphine. That would be why you feel giddy and happy after you've been kissing someone dreamy for a while!
-
Kissing is pretty germy — A single kiss can pass on almost 300 different types of bacteria, and a long kiss can leave you with more than a million bacteria. Be sure to pass the mouthwash and brush your teeth before a good make-out session.
-
Kissing can give you diseases — Mono used to be called "the kissing disease" before we learned that the illness can be picked up on other surfaces as well. One strain of herpes is also passed through kissing, so be careful who you kiss!
-
There's no such thing as an "Eskimo kiss" — You learned as a kid that the act of rubbing noses was considered an "Eskimo kiss." It's not true. Alaskans kiss the same way the rest of the world does.
-
Kissing is (sometimes) illegal — There are some antiquated laws that exist around the U.S. In Ceder Rapids, Iowa, for instance, kissing strangers is illegal. In Hartford, Connecticut, it's against the law to kiss your husband on a Sunday! Talk about the need for some new laws, huh?
-
Kissing vacation — The average person spends about 15 days of their entire life kissing. Talk about an extra-long vacation!
-
Kissing burns calories — French kissing is reported to use 34 different muscles in your face. A short peck can burn a couple of calories, while a passionate embrace can burn 26 calories a minute! Now THAT'S cause for celebration — and eating a cupcake.
-
Lips are sensitive — Lips are 100 times more sensitive than the tips of the fingers. Even genitals aren't as sensitive as lips.
-
Even primates do it — Chimps kiss with open mouths (no tongue), and bonobos, the smartest of the primates, kiss with their tongues.
Did any of these kissing facts surprise you?
Image via scented_mirror/Flickr
