--- description: Who knew kissing could make you healthier in so many ways? title: 6 Weird Things You Never Knew About Kissing image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8f240d6117c651/69877e50f887dc261de8a01b/525161909-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Sex/Relationships](/tag/sexrelationships/) ## Sex/Relationships Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 6 Weird Things You Never Knew About Kissing by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2015 4:10 PM CUT  Lip prints on letter Lip prints on letterGetty Images by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2015 4:10 PM CUT Romantic kissing happens in more than 90% of all cultures, and with good reason: “It helps us find a partner and stay with them,” says Laura Berman, PhD, assistant clinical professor of ob-gyn and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and author of _Loving Sex_ ($25, amazon.com). But it also has a slew of surprising functions, including some major health benefits. Pucker up to these fascinating facts. **It may be the most fun way to build immunity** Just 10 seconds of French kissing can transfer 80 million germs from one person’s mouth to the other, according to a Dutch study published this past November in the journal _Microbiome_. While that may sound gross, there’s a big potential benefit. “It’s a way to pass around bugs so your body develops immunity to them,” Berman explains. In fact, a 2010 paper in the journal _Medical Hypotheses_ suggested that kissing between partners could help protect their babies from being infected in utero with cytomegalovirus, which can cause birth defects such as infant blindness. **Read more:** [13 Reasons to Have More Sex](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20845824,00.html?xid=fox-kissing-020915 "undefined") **It really is ‘in his kiss’** Women rate romantic kissing as more important when they’re close to ovulation—in other words, when they’re more likely to get pregnant. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, researchers say: Kissing offers a way to assess a mate through taste or smell. **It may boost your libido** While both sexes enjoy French kissing with long-term partners, guys “preferred more tongue contact” than women with short-term mates, according to a study published in the journal _Evolutionary Psychology_ in 2007\. (The study was done with college students, so you might want to take it with a grain of salt.) “One theory is that their saliva transfers testosterone to the woman, which in turn increases her sexual desire,” explains Berman. **Read more:** [15 Everyday Habits to Boost Your Libido](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20778590,00.html?xid=fox-kissing-020915 "undefined") **It boosts happy hormones** “When you kiss, your brain releases this chemical that leaves you feeling connected and bonded to your mate,” explains Berman. It also releases endorphins, those same feel-good chemicals your body produces when you work out. Another relaxing bonus: kissing lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a 2009 study done at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. **It may save your relationship** Both men and women who report frequent kissing in their relationship report more sexual satisfaction, according to a 2011 Kinsey Institute study. Guys who frequently smooched were also three times happier in their relationship than guys with limited snuggling. (Interestingly, frequent kissing didn’t predict relationship satisfaction for women.) **It can last for days—literally** The longest kiss award goes to Ekkachai Tiranarat and Laksana Tiranarat, who smooched for 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds in Pattaya, Thailand, on February 12-14, 2013\. They beat out eight other couples who entered the competition. Wonder how much training they had to do to prepare for that one! **Read more:** [20 Ways to Fall in Love All Over Again](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20896491,00.html?xid=fox-kissing-020915 "undefined") [_This article originally appeared on Health.com._](http://news.health.com/2015/02/02/6-weird-things-you-never-knew-about-kissing/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3701815/weird-things-about-kissing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3701815/weird-things-about-kissing/"},"headline":"6 Weird Things You Never Knew About Kissing","datePublished":"2015-02-13T16:10:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:16:35.597Z","description":"Who knew kissing could make you healthier in so many ways?","url":"https://time.com/3701815/weird-things-about-kissing/","keywords":["Sex/Relationships","Romance","Bacteria","microbiome"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8f240d6117c651/69877e50f887dc261de8a01b/525161909-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a8f240d6117c651/69877e50f887dc261de8a01b/525161909-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"lip-prints-envelope","caption":"lip-prints-envelope","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/sexrelationships/","name":"Sex/Relationships"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3701815/weird-things-about-kissing/","name":"6 Weird Things You Never Knew About Kissing"}}]}] ```