Pleasure of kissing comes from hormonal surge

Pennsylvania, February 9: Kissing your special someone is definitely exciting, and if you thought the excitement is credited to the special chemistry you share with your partner, you were probably right.

The pleasure of kissing actually comes from a complex series of chemical processes, besides, of course, the love in the relationship.

Researchers have recently found that a passionate kiss triggers the surge of such chemicals into brain, which endow the brain with sensations of relaxation and excitement.

“This study shows kissing is much more complex and causes hormonal changes and things we never thought occurred,” said Wendy Hill, professor of psychology at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania. “We tend to think more about whom we are kissing and how it feels, yet there are a lot of other things happening.”

Hill and her colleagues tested the levels of Cortisol and Oxytocindefine in 15 couples before and after holding hands and kissing. Cortisol, a stress hormone, went down with kissing in both partners while the level of Oxytocin, a hormone linked to social bonding, increased, but only in men.

While men feel the high with just the kiss, similar chemical surge in women requires additional features like a romantic atmosphere and soft music.

Although, the whole mechanism is not very clear yet, Hill believes that it might be due to stimulation of pheromones in the salivadefine. Pheromones are the chemicals that attract sexual partners.

To get to the root, scientists have begun conducting the tests in more intimate situations.

The final results will be presented at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Chicago this week.

Love, as we know, is already in the air. Don’t waver from locking lips with your Valentine and just feed your brain with some chemical fodder it’ll love.