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SEDUCTIVE VOCABULARY

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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KISS
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Kissing Science
​THE SCIENCE LAB OF LOVE


​HAUL OUT THE STUDIES
A scientific study of kissing started in the nineteenth century and the academic school or study is called philematology. The scientific term for kissing is osculation. In the 1676 English Dictionary, there is a differentiation between osculation ("kissing") and deosculation ("a kissing with eagerness").

Instinct or learned behavior? Some scientists believe kissing is instinctual and intuitive and the action evolved from feeding or grooming activities.

British zoologist Desmond Morris speculated in Scientific America in the 1960s that kissing evolved from behavior exhibited by monkeys. Primate mothers would chew food for their young and then feed them, mouth-to-mouth and with their lips puckered. This practice is called premastication. It was believed that this later developed into a way to comfort hungry children, and eventually to show love and affection.

Some suggest grooming as seen in the animal kingdom. Dogs, cats, birds and other animals display licking, nuzzling, and grooming behavior among themselves, and also towards humans or other species. This is sometimes interpreted by observers as a type of kissing.

Others suggest it evolved from a healthcare perspective like checking the health of a potential mate by inspecting their saliva.

And finally, most believe it is a learned behavior. Kissing might feel instinctual, but it's not an innate action every human being just automatically knows how to do. Data suggests that kissing is actually a learned trait and not human instinct. Children can learn from kisses from their mom or dad, seeing affection shared between their parents, by movies and TV, through reading books or comic books, from gossip from friends, their health and sex ed classes, by experimentation with others (including their pillows), and by experiencing their first kiss. As they mature they get better at it. In many cultures, it is considered a harmless custom for teenagers to engage in kissing games with friends. These games serve as icebreakers at parties and may be some kid’s first exposure to sexuality. These include such games as Truth or Dare, Seven Minutes in Heaven (or the variation "Two Minutes in the Closet"), or Spin the Bottle.

​PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF KISSING
​Kissing sparks reactions in both the body and the mind. Physiologically, it is a complex action requiring significant muscular coordination of a total of 34 facial muscles, 112 postural muscles and 5 cranial nerves.

Pucker Up: The key muscle involved is the orbicularis oris muscle, which is used to pucker the lips and has been nicknamed “the kissing muscle.”
  • The orbicularis oris is a set of complex muscles surrounding your mouth and consist of 4 separate quadrants. These quadrants weave together and provide a circular appearance when you “pucker” your lips to kiss. Sensitivity of the lips is 200 times higher than that of the fingers- like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two lip impressions are alike. In the case of the French kiss, the tongue is the main component.

SENSORY OVERLOAD
Cranial nerves are nerves that emerge from the brain (including the brainstem). There are twelve pairs. Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body. They affect your sensory inputs like vision, taste, smell, and hearing. Of the 12 cranial nerves, 5 are involved in one kiss. So your taste buds react (maybe you can taste sweetness and you think it’s her, but it’s really her margarita), your sense of smell reacts (especially if he or she has bad breath), and your hearing reacts (maybe the moaning and growling gets your libido jumping). These nerves help transfer signals to your brain to assemble information about your partner. Maybe that bad breath is a deal killer.

Nerves are all over your body. Your peripheral nerve endings become more sensitive, which is why you'll feel subtle touches or physical contact that you normally wouldn’t attend to. It's why there's a rush of energy when your partner touches your back, or why the wind in your hair is electrifying. A kiss essentially makes your entire body hyper-aware

Neurons blast off. Human lips have the slimmest layer of skin on the human body, but they are densely populated with sensory neurons. In a kiss these lip neurons and those in the tongue and mouth, blast off messages to the brain and body that set you alight. There are physical sensations like frisson (known as the “shivers”), intense emotions like excitement and happiness (euphoria) and many physical and sexual reactions triggered by arousal.

Gives you a glow. Kissing increases blood flow to your face from working those facial muscles. That extra blood flow stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. These proteins are what give you that “just kissed” glow and leave you with more youthful looking skin.

Closes those eyes: 65% of people keep their eyes closed while kissing- The rest take pleasure in watching the emotions run the gamut on the faces of their partners. The excitement related to kissing triggers your nervous system to automatically respond by dilating your pupils. This happens because the CNS allows light to penetrate your eyes, making them so sensitive you close them. That’s one reason we close our eyes when we kiss, but a 2016 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that when you keep your eyes open you're less likely to experience other sensations facilitated by kissing. The brain can't process visual and touch stimuli simultaneously, so if your eyes are open, you're too distracted to notice the touching.

Sets your heart racing. Kissing reduces your overall blood pressure. When you kiss, feelings of happiness, triggered by the hormones listed below, increase your heartbeats which make your blood vessels expand. When your blood vessels dilate, your blood flow increases and causes an immediate decrease in your blood pressure. So kissing, therefore, improves your cardiovascular health and wellness.

  • Ladies, take note - the effect of dilated blood vessels and increased blood flow can help relieve cramps. So grab your man when your time of the month rolls around.
  • That same dilation of blood vessels and lower blood pressure can also relieve headaches. Kissing may also help you prevent headaches by lowering your stress, which is known as a headache trigger.

Saves money on Benadryl. Kissing has been shown to provide significant relief from hives and other signs of allergic reaction associated with various pollen and household dust mites. Since stress also worsens allergic reactions, kissing may also reduce allergic response in that way.

Lets you have dessert. Kissing for a minute can burn up to 26 calories and three kisses a day can speed up your metabolism. Also, in a 2009 study scientists found that couples who increased the frequency of romantic kissing experienced improvement in their total serum cholesterol. Better cardiovascular systems and lower cholesterol sounds great for such an easy fix.

Boosts your immune system. A 2014 study published in the biology journal Microbiome found that couples who kissed often were more likely to share the same microbiota. Swapping spit, they say, leads to a stronger immune system. Often has been defined as at least nine times each day. That is a lot of kissing for this benefit.

Gives you longer time to do it. When practiced regularly, kissing may even add a few years to your life. One study claimed that men who kiss their wives every morning before leaving for work live five years longer than those who don't. They also missed less work due to illness, got in fewer car accidents, and earned more money than those who do not kiss their spouses on the cheek on a daily basis. The explanation? According to scientists, those who kiss their spouse start their day confident and with a positive attitude, while those who don't are less confident and therefore, less positive. Maybe even negative. Positivity has been shown to directly impact your health and wellness.

Leads to the big O. Kissing can increase your chances of having an orgasm. Kissing is often considered separate from actual foreplay and not an essential component of sex itself. But scientists in a 2018 study suggest deep kissing leads to a better chance for orgasm in women.

KISSING IS GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN
​Romantic kissing stimulates the production of hormones responsible for a great time and a good mood. When you kiss someone, your brain conveys signals to the adrenal gland to release hormones like norepinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins and serotonin.

​THE CHEMICAL COCKTAIL TO GIVE YOU A RUSH

ADRENALINE GIVES YOU THE COLLYWOBBLES
Collywobbles are the sensation of butterflies in your stomach, the spontaneous blushing, quickening pulse, and sweaty palms, racing heart and a blood pressure that rises. Adrenaline is why you feel "weak in the knees." The release of adrenaline during foreplay also has a positive effect on pain. Maybe that headache is gone after a few rounds of kissing. The bodies of those engaged in kissing produce a substance that is 200 times more powerful than morphine in terms of narcotic effect, that’s why when kissing people can experience feelings of euphoria and bliss.

DOPAMINE MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD
Kissing stimulates the pleasure and reward centers in the brain. When you kiss a person for the first time, dopamine urges you to seek more. The surge heads right for the reward center by traveling on the same neural pathways that addiction does. So the first kiss triggers a want and a need (a craving) and this helps the seduction process. In some it also triggers sex addiction but that’s another story. Other dopamine triggers from kissing include staying up all night, loss of hunger and a spike in your energy level. When you're in a long-term relationship, the dopamine level decreases after this initial period, but that’s ok because oxytocin becomes more important.

OXYTOCIN FLOODS YOU WITH LOVE
This hormone is responsible for creating and strengthening your bond to your partner. With oxytocin released from your pituitary gland and binding to receptors throughout your bloodstream, you feel instantly close and connected. It leads to monogamy, marriage and a lifetime of love. However, it’s important to note that one study found oxytocin levels rose only in males and decreased in females after the first kiss. The scientists concluded that females may require more than a kiss to feel emotionally connected or sexually excited.

ENDORPHINS GET YOU HIGH
They fill you with a rush of happiness and exhilaration. Endorphins are released from the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. The peptides increase feelings of emotion and affection, making you delirious after the kiss. Dopamine and endorphins are said to give you a rush akin to that of cocaine.

CORTISOL RELIEVED YOUR STRESS.
Kissing helps to decrease your stress hormone cortisol. Spikes in cortisol levels have a negative effect on your brain health and immune system. Cortisol is released when the fear center is stimulated - this is where anxiety lives and the fight or flight response is triggered in the amygdala. Kissing boosts feelings of happiness but more significantly, feelings of relaxation. A study found that just 15 minutes of kissing can lower cortisol levels and, therefore, alleviate stress and anxiety. So kissing means keeping the stress hormones in check.

Cortisol has a tangible impact on your self-esteem. Because cortisol can be reduced with kissing, studies show that this can improve your feelings of self-worth. Researchers in one 2016 study found that participants who were unhappy with their physical appearance had higher cortisol levels. This makes sense since poor self image can increase anxiety when courting in a relationship. While you are kissing you may feel self-conscious so your anxiety is higher and the brain releases cortisol in response to that.

THE SEX HORMONES KICK IN
A man passes on testosterone to a woman through saliva and the transmission triggers a woman to get turned on. Testosterone is a key trigger of the libido. Men use French kissing during foreplay to trigger this process (probably unknowingly). The longer and more passionately you kiss, the more testosterone gets released.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
My book SECRETS OF THE HEART will answer all of your questions about attraction, infatuation, lust, love, and all the best sex science you could ever want. And you can learn the secrets of soulmates and their formation under the guides of the gods. KISSING AND THE EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN
Romantic kissing stimulates the production of hormones responsible for a great time and a good mood. When you kiss someone, your brain conveys signals to the adrenal gland to release hormones like norepinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins and serotonin.

ADRENALINE GIVES YOU THE COLLYWOBBLES
Collywobbles are the sensation of butterflies in your stomach, the spontaneous blushing, quickening pulse, and sweaty palms, racing heart and a blood pressure that rises. Adrenaline is why you feel "weak in the knees." The release of adrenaline during foreplay also has a positive effect on pain. Maybe that headache is gone after a few rounds of kissing. The bodies of those engaged in kissing produce a substance that is 200 times more powerful than morphine in terms of narcotic effect, that’s why when kissing people can experience feelings of euphoria and bliss.

DOPAMINE MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD
Kissing stimulates the pleasure and reward centers in the brain. When you kiss a person for the first time, dopamine urges you to seek more. The surge heads right for the reward center by traveling on the same neural pathways that addiction does. So the first kiss triggers a want and a need (a craving) and this helps the seduction process. In some it also triggers sex addiction but that’s another story. Other dopamine triggers from kissing include staying up all night, loss of hunger and a spike in your energy level. When you're in a long-term relationship, the dopamine level decreases after this initial period, but that’s ok because oxytocin becomes more important.

OXYTOCIN FLOODS YOU WITH LOVE
This hormone is responsible for creating and strengthening your bond to your partner. With oxytocin released from your pituitary gland and binding to receptors throughout your bloodstream, you feel instantly close and connected. It leads to monogamy, marriage and a lifetime of love. However, it’s important to note that one study found oxytocin levels rose only in males and decreased in females after the first kiss. The scientists concluded that females may require more than a kiss to feel emotionally connected or sexually excited.

ENDORPHINS GET YOU HIGH
They fill you with a rush of happiness and exhilaration. Endorphins are released from the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. The peptides increase feelings of emotion and affection, making you delirious after the kiss. Dopamine and endorphins are said to give you a rush akin to that of cocaine.

CORTISOL RELIEVED YOUR STRESS.
Kissing helps to decrease your stress hormone cortisol. Spikes in cortisol levels have a negative effect on your brain health and immune system. Cortisol is released when the fear center is stimulated - this is where anxiety lives and the fight or flight response is triggered in the amygdala. Kissing boosts feelings of happiness but more significantly, feelings of relaxation. A study found that just 15 minutes of kissing can lower cortisol levels and, therefore, alleviate stress and anxiety. So kissing means keeping the stress hormones in check.

Cortisol has a tangible impact on your self-esteem. Because cortisol can be reduced with kissing, studies show that this can improve your feelings of self-worth. Researchers in one 2016 study found that participants who were unhappy with their physical appearance had higher cortisol levels. This makes sense since poor self image can increase anxiety when courting in a relationship. While you are kissing you may feel self-conscious so your anxiety is higher and the brain releases cortisol in response to that.

THE SEX HORMONES KICK IN
A man passes on testosterone to a woman through saliva and the transmission triggers a woman to get turned on. Testosterone is a key trigger of the libido. Men use French kissing during foreplay to trigger this process (probably unknowingly). The longer and more passionately you kiss, the more testosterone gets released.

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Then download my book THE SECRETS OF THE HEART and get all the answers you need on attraction, infatuation, lust, obsession, love and all the sexy science you can handle. Plus a little romance with the mystical hands of fate conspiring with few frisky gods to give you the story of soulmates. Download free.

The Answers Revealed

CAN SCIENCE HELP YOU DECIDE IF HE IS IT?
Recent research suggests that romantic kissing may be utilized in sexual relationships to evaluate suitability, to stimulate feelings of attachment or to facilitate arousal and initiate sexual activity. The study involved an international online questionnaire completed by 308 male and 594 female participants aged 18-63. Results show:

Support for the theory that kissing is a useful mate-assessment function for women. The women placed greater importance on kissing in romantic relationships and stated that an initial kiss was more likely to affect their attraction to a potential mate than it did men.

  • Kissing is more important at the beginning or the establishment stages of a relationship for men and more important in long-term relationship contexts by the women.
  • The kissing frequency was found to be a factor related to relationship satisfaction.
  • The findings of this research showed very little evidence to support the theory that the primary function of kissing is to elevate levels of arousal. Interesting.

THE FIRST KID MAKES IT OR BREAKS IT
A first kiss is enough for a woman to pass judgement on her partner or so suggests a 2007 study. The results found that women can make up their minds about a potential mate as a result of that first kiss. The study looked at 1,041 heterosexual college-aged young adults and found that kissing was more important to women when it comes to deciding whether they want to date someone or not.

They found:
  • For most men, a deep kiss was a way of advancing to the next level sexually. So from first to second base and maybe a homerun if they got lucky.
  • But women were generally looking to assess whether to take the relationship to the next level emotionally, not sexually. So women are assessing not only if he is a good genetic match (evolutionary assessment of DNA - a good baby maker) but also whether he would be a good long-term partner. Women intellectualize kissing, so a kiss also provides information about the perceived level of commitment. Locking lips is a kind of emotional barometer that determines the health and future of the relationship. If it’s enthusiastic (crowd goes wild) or flops like a dead fish (crowd boos), women are heavy hitters in the relationship game and they play to win boys, so make it count.

A similar study in 2013 found that women can typically make a snap judgement about the future of a relationship based on a first kiss. Men take note - make sure you hit it out of the park that first time or risk being benched or worse, kicked off the team.

In another recent survey it was found that 59 percent of 58 men and 66 percent of 122 women admitted that there have been times when they were attracted to someone but their interest evaporated after their first kiss. The “bad” kisses weren’t inherently bad and they had no particular flaws; they simply did not feel right. So they ended the romantic relationship on the spot. It was the kiss of death.

ENOUGH SCIENCE!
Let Me See that Kama Sutra!

STORY OF THE KISS ​KISSING VOCABULARY DOWNLOAD THIS FEATURE
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