Kissing, it’s all in a kiss…The science of kissing - Philematology
Kissing, it’s all in a kiss…
Hmmm kissing, yummy, delicious,
sensual…
Just imagine it, the initial
exhilarating - electrifying attraction. Before your lips actually make magnetic
contact, there is that intoxicating, dizzying, barely there, close proximity,
intensity - eyes with a downward gaze, fixed on the fleshy facial objects of
desire. By this stage your bodies are
connected by parallel contact of some form.
This is the ultra-sensual, pheromone like, hypnotic pull towards
each others inviting luscious lips…
Then, in a trance like state, there
is the deep automatic inhalation and the final lip lick, just split seconds
before your blood filled, moist & ready lips pucker up and engage with
one another’s .
There is also something to be
said about the “kiss of death” (not the kind as in the Mob movies) Meaning, a
kiss could be the start of something (brief or long term), or right of the bat,
be the end, right there and then. Never
under estimate the power of a kiss! A
kiss has the power to change your life, or thinking about someone, and your
course of action.
Ok, ok, calm down everyone! There
is a science to the this wondrous ‘madness’, and it’s called Philematology - or the science
of kissing. It examines kissing from a biological perspective and studies, among
other things, pheromones and the chemicals released in the brain while kissing.
Very exciting and interesting
stuff I tell you!
The studies went on to show, that
we obtain much information about the other person via our sensory systems, when
locking in a passionate kiss. Fisher
said, a kiss transmits smells, tastes, sound and tactile signals that all affect
how the individuals perceive each other and, ultimately, whether they will want
to kiss again. It also showed that women
are more drawn to males who possess immune systems that are different from
their own. Fisher said, they subconsciously detect information about a
partner's immune system through smell during kissing. This is to
ensure the strongest genes are transferred to the offspring.
Research led by Wendy Hill,
professor of neuroscience at Lafayette College, looked at how kissing affects the hormones oxytocin, sometimes called the "love or bonding hormone," which is associated with social bonding, and cortisol, a measure of stress.
That rush that sweeps through your body, during those particularly great kisses? Fisher knows it well.
"Kissing is contextual," she says. "A kiss can be wildly sexual, wildly romantic, or it can be deeply gratifying because it's an affirmation of attachment. Kissing somebody for the first time, rather than the 200th or 2,000th time, creates a situation of incredible novelty."
That rush you feel is probably from two natural stimulants -- dopamine and norepinephrine, Fisher says. "They tend to be activated when you get into a novel situation."
Fisher says there are three different stages one typically goes through:
- lust -- the craving for sexual gratification
- romantic love -- the feeling of giddiness, euphoria, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite when you meet a new love
- attachment -- that sense of security you find with a with long-term partner.
"Each of these is associated with different chemical systems in the brain," says Fisher. Sex drive and lust are triggered by testosterone, in both men and women. Dopamine and norepinephrine kick in when romance begins. Oxytocin is a factor in at the attachment phase, bringing the sense of calm and peace you find with "the one."
On the basis of brain imaging,
Fisher proposes that there are three distinct brain systems involved in mating
and reproduction: sex drive, romantic love, and attachment. Sex drive compels
us to seek partners, romantic love tells us to commit to one, and attachment
helps us "tolerate this person at least long enough" to have a child,
she said. Kissing evolved to stimulate all three of these systems.
Men vs. Women and kissing…
According to evolutionary
psychology, women kiss to assess the commitment of a mate - is he really that
into me, and would he make a worthy mate? - While men kiss as a means to an end
- let's get it on (well most of the time, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he
will hit it and quit it.) The study determined that men like their kisses
wetter and with more tongue: To be precise, 33 per cent wetter and with 11 per
cent more tongue, on average, than women do.
Men may have an ulterior motive
for preferring wetter kisses, Dr. Gallup says. Swapping spit involves an
exchange of hormones, and one hormone in male saliva is testosterone, which
increases female arousal, thus increasing the chances for sex.
"Men also get romantic
pleasure and connection from kissing, and both men and women will use kissing
to advance to more intimate sexual acts," Mr. Christian says. "...
We're all sensitive people - Marvin Gaye said that, and he was right. Women
have a sexual side that's very powerful as well."
… But when all said and done,
kissing is one of life’s wonderful pleasures, a 'little gem' I would call it!
Enjoyed by both sexes & same sexes. The bottom line
is that both sexes experience oral pleasure. The beauty of kissing is that it
has so many chemical benefits, with maximum pleasure & reward.
So in words inspired by Marvin
Gaye, let’s get it on, our kissing that is! Remember life is shorter than you
think! Kiss a lot, as often as possible for your pleasure and your health &
well-being!
Live well and kiss a lot!
Marie Joshua Jones
Wellness Practitioner &
Psychological Counselor
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