The Psychobiology Of The Kiss

For the famous actress Ingrid Bergman: ‘the kiss is a wonderful trick designed by nature to make us stop talking when words become superfluous’. And it is that kissing is a very important act for the human being at all levels. But do we really know what it entails? That is what explains the psychobiology of the kiss.

We kiss when we greet our family, our partner, friends, etc. But the kiss is much more than an act of love, passion or a way of socializing. Through this simple act, we develop a whole neural process in which chemical substances essential for our physical and emotional well-being are secreted, such as:

• Oxytocin : this hormone has a neuromodulatory function and therefore has a positive influence on affective and social behaviors.

• Endorphins : these peptides are also those that we secrete when doing sports, hence how good we feel afterwards. The reason is that they cause well-being and relaxation.
• Dopamine : it is a very important neurotransmitter, since it is the one that transmits the sensation of pleasure to the brain.

As you can see, kissing generates a series of physical reactions that have an important emotional, but also psychological and biological effect. And this is what renowned professionals decided to investigate through the psychobiology of the kiss, obtaining interesting conclusions.

What conclusions does the psychobiology of the kiss provide?

According to science, kissing is a biological adaptation. The conclusions of a study carried out at the University of Albany went in this sense: especially in a romantic context, chemical signals are exchanged through which it is evaluated whether there is genetic compatibility or not. And this can be binding when it comes to feeling interest or rejection by a person.

The psychologists Marissa Harrison, Gordon Gallup and Susan Hughes published in Scientific American Mind the results obtained in their study The Psychobiology of the Romantic Kiss . In this they confirmed that when the kiss occurs, and therefore the exchange of chemical signals, we activate -unconsciously- mechanisms that evaluate reproductive viability and the genetic compatibility that we have with the other person.

For this reason, an absolute rejection or a very intense attraction can occur when kissing another person. It is our sensory neurons that are acting and sending messages to our brain about whether the person in front of us is attractive or “repulsive.”

But there is more, much more, and it lies in the differences in the way of kissing between men and women. In the case of women, according to data provided by a study at the University of Lafayette, conducted by psychologist Wendy L. Hill, less oxytocin is released per kiss, therefore they need more than they do to feel its effects.

In addition, it seems that on average men give more kisses with their mouths open and even with their tongues, since they have testosterone in their saliva, which if supplied for a sufficiently long period of time would stimulate the female libido.

Psychological benefits of kissing

In addition to the biological part of the act of kissing, there is also the psychological part, where positive changes also occur:

• Renew the trust and affective bond between people, be it family, partner, friendship, etc.
• It strengthens the relationship as a couple, since it reminds them that they are more than roommates and increases romanticism and desire.
• It produces happiness. As we have seen before, generating the chemicals produces a fantastic sensation of pleasure and well-being.
• Increase self-esteem. Who doesn’t like to feel loved, important, and valued? It is what is received when we are kissed and what we transmit when we kiss.

• It reduces stress and anxiety also due to those secreted chemicals. If you have a bad day, give a lot of kisses!

And it is that, no matter where you look, kissing is very positive in every way, as affirmed by the psychobiology of kissing.