Can Kissing Prevent Illness?

By: Amanda Ziminski


Kissing can be a great way to show your affection for someone you care about. Studies have shown that a first kiss is for "mate assessment" and every kiss afterwards is for "mediation of feelings of attachment in long term relationships" (Manoj, para. 7).

Whether you are kissing someone you just met at a party or a spouse after years of marriage, studies have found that it impacts your health in a positive way. One study published in the journal of Microbiome has found that a French kiss of 10 seconds can spread 80 million bacteria between mouths. The study took place at a zoo in the Netherlands. Researchers found 21 couples who were willing to take part in the study. They first swabbed the tongues of the couples and collected their salvia. Then then had the couples French kiss for ten seconds. After the kiss they swabbed the couple's tongues and collected their salvia again. The study found that "the bacteria on the couples tongue was much more similar to the oral bacteria than the bacteria of two strangers and kissing might act as a form of immunization (Manoj 48)."

Kissing also has several psychological benefits, including the release of neurotransmitters that improve mood, improving self esteem, and a sense of belonging. A German study also found that men who kissed their wives before leaving for work made more money.

So, yes, kissing can prevent illness and actually can improve health overall. A few notable benefits of kissing includes; reduced blood pressure, relieving cramps and headaches, fights cavities, burns calories, and assists with immunity from disease.


Note: This blog does not take into account the potential threat of STDs.

Works Cited:

Borchard, Therese J. "8 Benefits of Kissing | World of Psychology." World of Psychology. N.p., 01 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/03/8-benefits-of-kissing/>.                         

Manoj, Jain. "The Microbiology versus the Psychology of Kissing." KevinMD.com. N.p., 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/01/microbiology-versus-psychology-kissing.html>.           

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