Do you know everything about kisses?

While kisses are usually perceived as a manifestation of affection in a romantic relationship, scientific research has revealed more important functions of a kiss. Some scientists argue that kissing allows people to evaluate potential partners, because at the level of instincts there is an analysis of breathing, saliva, and skin texture. Other studies show that kisses increase the level of excitation, which can lead to sexual intercourse. It is also believed that a kiss can affect feelings of attachment, relieve stress, increase self-esteem and satisfaction with life.

Learning the functions of kisses

Scientists all love to lay out the shelves, so to study the role of kisses in human life, they approached thoroughly: a group of 308 men and 594 women aged from 18 to 63 years were involved. Participants completed the questionnaire, answered a number of questions about how the kiss affects feelings, actions in various life situations, and also made a scale for assessing the quality of the relationship with the partner.

As part of the survey, a psychologist worked with participants to determine their socio-analytical orientation. Much attention was paid to the question of the extent to which people prefer casual short-term relationships in comparison with long-term relationships (for example, the teachers answered the question "How many different partners did you have sexual intercourse only once?"). Finally, each member of the group assessed their own level of self-worth of self-worth by answering the following two questions: "How do you think other people assess your physical attractiveness?" And "Do you think other people consider you sexual?"

Kisses to assess the value of a partner

The researchers found interesting facts: those people who consider themselves physically attractive, prefer to kiss more than those who have low self-esteem. In addition, self-confident participants responded that their attraction to a person is more likely to change after the first kiss, while the group's unsure members did not consider this important.

This demonstrates that those who are confident in themselves are more selective about others when it comes to choosing a partner. In this case, the function of the kiss is reduced to the evaluation of the partner.

Interaction of kisses

The researchers also found that the high frequency of kisses in a relationship was related to the quality of the relationship, and that having a partner that the participant associated with a "good" kiss determined a positive attitude towards him.

The researchers also found that those participants who were interested in long-term relationships felt that kisses are important before, during and after sex, while those that were more focused on short-term relationships were given a place for a kiss mostly before sex. The authors interpreted this as a proof of the attachment hypothesis. In particular, it turned out that kisses are not used solely for excitement, but they allow the couple to have a good time and to strengthen relationships.

Kisses in response to the excitement and the beginning of sex

Surprisingly, in the course of the study, scientists denied the excitement hypothesis, because only those who wanted short-term relationships appreciated the kiss just before sex. Participants interested in long-term relationships felt that kissing is important at another time. Thus, the function of the kiss is not limited to the sexual arousal of the partner.

Conclusion

In general, the results of this study show that the kiss serves two main purposes: to evaluate potential partners and maintain a link between them. Therefore, a kiss is more than a physical expression of love for a partner.