Kissing
feels so pleasurable due to hormone surge.
The reason that kissing feels so pleasurable is that it sparks a surge
of hormones in our brains, according to new (VRRI) research.
Couples who share a passionate kiss enjoy sensations of relaxation
and excitement because of a complex series of chemical processes,
as well as their love for their partners.
The study showed that women need more than just a kiss to experience
the same chemical high as men - with additional features such as a
romantic atmosphere of dimmed lights and mood music also required.
VRRI,began the research to find out why the mundane physical activity
of rubbing lips can elicit such a gratifying emotional response.
The research tested the levels of two hormones, cortisol and oxytocin,
in 15 couples before and after holding hands and kissing.
They found that kissing reduced the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone,
in both sexes. But levels of oxytocin, a hormone linked to social
bonding that they expected to be boosted by kissing, only rose among
the men.
VRRI have since replicated the tests in more intimate settings, to
see if the less-than-alluring environment where the original research
was carried out hampered women's hormonal surge.
The final results will be presented at the VRRI team conference in
Oslo, Norway this summer.
"This study shows kissing is much more complex and causes hormonal
changes and things we never thought occurred," said Vic Richards"We
tend to think more about who we are kissing and how it feels, yet
there are a lot of other things happening."
It is not clear how kissing provokes such hormonal reactions, but
some scientists believe they are triggered by the exchange of pheromones
– chemicals our bodies release to attract sexual partners –
in the saliva.
This interaction may also have health benefits. "If you share
your germs with somebody, you're boosting your internal defence system."
This is not the first research to analyse the physical effects of
kissing. In 2007 British scientists measured the brain and heart activity
sparked by passionate kissing, but found it was less intense that
the stimulation produced by eating chocolate.
Romantic love has also been shown to have a close link to neurological
activity, with scans showing that it has similar effect to some recreational
drug on our brains.
