Friday, September 5, 2014

The science and poetry of a kiss

"A kiss of passion is the exultant message of  longing for love, 
love eternally young, the burning prayer of hot desire, which is born on the lovers' lips,
 and rises up to the blue sky from the green plains
 like a tender, trembling thank-offering, rich in promise,
 bestows an intoxicating feeling of infinite happiness, courage, and youth, 
and therefore surpasses all other earthly joys in sublimity."
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So what is a kiss?
kiss is the pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. 
Kissing uses 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles. 
The most important muscle involved in kissing is the orbicularis oris - it puckers the lips.
An average person spends 20 160 minutes of their life kissing. 
During kissing the brain releases dopamine and which is responsible for feelings of desire and bonding, and serotonin that elevates your mood. 
Kissing releases adrenaline, epinephryn and norepinephryn into the blood - making your heart pump faster.
Kissing stabilizes the cardiovascular system and boosts your metabolism.
A passionate kiss burns 2-5 calories a minute - double the normal rate.
It reduces the level of bad cholestorol.
 Kissing lowers stress by decreasing body's cortisol levels.
At the same time kissing stimulates the brain and creates a sense of peace and calmness by altering the body’s oxytocin levels.
Kissing releases endorphines into your body that can be a more powerful pain reliever than morphine.
Kissing helps prevent plaque and cavities by simulating saliva production.
Kissing exposes you to germs and forces your organism to create antibodies thus strengthening your overall immunity. 
Through kissing your body recieves information about your partner's health and hormone levels, 
such as testosterone. 
A study following married couples showed that increased freaquency of kissing also increased relationship satisfaction.
Kissing decreases IgE antibodies in the blood that are responsible for the release of histamine. Histamine release in the blood stream causes allergy symptoms such as sneezing and watery eyes. Therefore, more kissing means less sneezing and histamine release.
A study has shown that men who get a kiss from their wife each morning live longer. Up to 5 years longer. The same doesn't apply for women, unfortunately.
Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. 
Ususally it's considered to be a common expression of love and affection. 
In South East Asian countries the "sniff kiss" (rubbing one's nose against the cheek of the other) is the most common form of affection and Western mouth to mouth kissing is often reserved for sexual foreplay.
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Finally I will drink life from your lips
and wake up from this ever lasting sleep.
The wisdom of the earth in a kiss
and everything else in your eyes.
 Kiss the one you love.
Do it often.
Do it with passion.
It keeps your soul eternally young,
it makes existence timeless.
A kiss.

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