You may not think of kissing as a gross activity, but there's plenty of science that proves swapping spit is a whole lot dirtier (and not in a good way) than you'd think. Here's a look into the dirty truth about kissing.
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00:00You may not think of kissing as a gross activity, but there's plenty of science
00:05that proves swapping spit is a whole lot dirtier than you think — and not in a good way.
00:10Here's a look into the dirty truth about kissing.
00:13Perhaps one of the most obvious downsides to kissing is that it can transfer germs
00:18between the two people locking lips. A 2014 study published in Microbiome Journal found
00:23that, on average, there was a total bacterial transfer of 80 million bacteria per intimate
00:29kiss of 10 seconds. Plus, Remco Cort, the study's author and a professor and scientist,
00:34told Time,
00:35"...apparently being with somebody for an extended amount of time and having a
00:38relationship leads to a similar collection of bacteria on the tongue."
00:42The more you know, right?
00:44Additionally, Kelly Reynolds, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona's Zuckerman College
00:49of Public Health, told Cosmopolitan that mouths serve as a transmission route for germs because
00:54there is a close connection with the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems,
00:58and these parts of our insides are common sites of infections for germs.
01:02It's pretty overwhelming to think about,
01:04but important to remember before you decide to move in on that hottie at the bar.
01:09Kissing usually feels pretty good. After all,
01:11why would you press your mouth up against someone else's if it wasn't an enjoyable experience?
01:16Plus, there's actually some science that proves kissing is doing good for you as well.
01:20Sarah Johns, an expert in human reproduction and evolutionary psychology at the University
01:25of Kent in England, told The Independent that kissing has historically served a
01:29biologically important purpose. She explained that humans don't have strong olfactory skills.
01:35Kissing allows us to smell and taste a person and see if we have different immune responses.
01:40We tend to feel more attracted to someone with a different immune response. By kissing and
01:45tasting someone, it gives the opportunity to assess how similar or different that individual
01:49is to you biochemically. As outlandish as it sounds, if you feel a bigger spark with one
01:54person over another while kissing, it might be biology telling you that you're more attracted
01:59to their immune system. It's scary knowing that kissing can transfer a ton of bacteria,
02:04but it's not all bad. Microbiologist Remco Cort told Huffington Post,
02:09If you increase the diversity of good bacteria, you can increase resistance against infection.
02:14So, in a way, kissing people can actually benefit your immune system by increasing the number of
02:19overall bacteria that enter into your body, even if some of those microscopic critters
02:24aren't exactly the best. When you've been with someone for an extended period of time,
02:28your immune system will benefit from all the kissing that goes on between the two of you.
02:31This is because you build up a resistance when you are exposed to different kinds of bacteria.
02:36While you can think about kissing and cringe at all the bad bacteria being exchanged,
02:40if you look at it from this point of view, kissing is very healthy.
02:44We're sure you know that frequent handwashing is important to avoid catching the flu or other
02:50illnesses. What you may not have considered, though, is how it's entirely possible to catch
02:54the flu through smooching. Interestingly, it turns out that making love is actually safer
02:59than kissing when it comes to the flu. Charles Gerba, a microbiology professor at the University
03:04of Arizona, told Vice that you can somewhat safely make love while you have the flu.
03:09Of course, you may not actually be in the mood if you're sick, but we digress. Even if you choose
03:14to get intimate while you're battling the flu, you should plan to keep kissing off-limits. Gerba
03:19stated that if you kiss, you're going to get sick. Additionally, they found that the influenza virus
03:24can live for three days on the couch. In general, you should watch out for close-contact situations,
03:30which, as you probably guessed, includes kissing.
03:33Kissing is certainly fun and exciting, and a great way to check if you are
03:37intimately compatible with someone new. Additionally, kissing shows someone you
03:41care about just how much you love them. And though kissing is obviously pretty germy,
03:45it can add years to your life. Citing a decade-long German study,
03:49Time found that men who kissed their wives before leaving for work lived, on average,
03:54five years longer. The act earned them 20 to 30 percent more years of life than peers who
03:59left without a quick kiss goodbye. Additionally, the research found that men who didn't kiss their
04:04wives before they left for work were 50 percent more likely to get into a car accident, thus
04:09obviously shortening their lifespan. Though in this instance, remember that correlation is not
04:14causation. Since kissing a special someone can be both thrilling and comforting at the same time,
04:19it's not exactly surprising that it's been linked to longevity, though it may not have
04:23a lot to do with the kiss itself. Time concluded that,
04:25Psychologists do not believe it's the kiss itself that accounts for the difference,
04:29but rather that kissers were likely to begin the day with a positive attitude,
04:33leading to a healthier lifestyle. You might as well plop a kiss on your partner's lips
04:37every morning. Germs be damned.
04:40No one enjoys the company of cold sores. They're pretty much the definition of small but mighty in
04:45terms of pain and annoyance. Cold sores, or fever blisters as they are often called,
04:49aren't that big of a deal, but they are incredibly frustrating and can really put a damper on your
04:54confidence since they can be difficult to cover up.
04:57I don't know how I got it.
04:58I know how you got it.
04:59How?
05:00Michael, come on. A cold sore is herpes.
05:04Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and can be easily spread to others through
05:08kissing, especially if your cold sore blister has already formed or even erupted. Additionally,
05:14cold sores can even spread after they've healed up. Joshua Zeichner, a dermatologist based in
05:18New York City, has said that one of the most common ways the virus is spread is through
05:23kissing, because the virus frequently occurs around the mouth and the lips. So if you've
05:27recently kissed someone who had a cold sore, you may not show symptoms right away, but you could
05:32still be contagious. Thus, it's a good idea to hold off on the lip-locking for a time.
05:38It's pretty much an undisputed fact that no one enjoys going to the dentist. Sure,
05:42it's not the worst thing in the world, but it can be pretty stressful even if you take
05:46excellent care of your teeth and gums. Believe it or not, even if you are the most meticulous
05:50teeth-brusher and flosser in the world, you could still get cavities as a result of kissing.
05:55The act of kissing alone doesn't immediately lead to cavities,
05:59but swapping saliva does have the potential to spread the bacteria that causes cavities.
06:04The cavity creeps! Crips! Crips!
06:06We make Holt and Teeth!
06:07Quick! Warn the Crips team!
06:09Cavities are caused by bacteria that stick to teeth and feast on food particles. They produce
06:14acid that causes tooth decay, according to dentist Emmanuel Lelevy of the New York Center
06:19for Cosmetic Dentistry. Cavities are typically passed through mouth-to-mouth contact when there
06:24is an exchange of saliva. So on top of all the germs that get passed around while kissing,
06:29there's also the possibility that you can get more cavities from tongue-tangling with someone.
06:34Fun times!
06:35If you don a smartwatch or other kind of wearable device that can track your heart rate,
06:40you may have noticed that your heart rate tends to go up while you're getting it on with someone.
06:44Your watch might even think you're working out instead of just hooking up. And to be fair,
06:49kissing does burn calories. But does it actually burn enough calories to really count? Well,
06:53it depends on the time and effort you put into it. A 2013 editorial published in the American
06:59Journal of Medicine revealed,
07:00"...simple kisses use as few as two muscles and burn only two to three calories,
07:04whereas passionate kissing can involve as many as 23 to 34 facial muscles and 112
07:10postural muscles. Because of that, the act of kissing consumes between 5 and 26 calories per
07:16minute. That's some serious calorie torching just for getting it on."
07:20Obviously, to really burn some calories, you would want to make out for a while,
07:23but honestly, there are worse ways to break a sweat.
07:27Hepatitis B is a liver disease that can lead to liver cancer, liver failure,
07:31and kidney disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. And unfortunately,
07:35kissing is one way in which the disease can be transmitted.
07:38According to the Better Health Channel, it is possible to pass hepatitis B through kissing,
07:42though the site revealed that blood is more often the culprit. Still, you can become sick
07:47with hepatitis B if infected saliva comes in contact with your bloodstream or mucous membranes,
07:52like your mouth. It's easiest to pass hepatitis B through kissing when someone has open and
07:57active sores around or inside their mouth. It's important to take the necessary precautions if
08:02your partner has the disease so you can keep yourself safe and healthy. And in this case,
08:06prevention really is the best medicine. As the Mayo Clinic has said, a vaccine can prevent
08:11hepatitis B, but there's no cure if you already have the condition.
08:15As far as modern medicine has come, there are obviously still some maladies that you
08:20want to be careful to avoid. Meningococcal meningitis, for example, is a disease you
08:24really don't want to mess around with, according to the World Health Organization.
08:28Meningococcal meningitis, a bacterial form of meningitis, is a serious infection of the meninges
08:33that affects the brain membrane. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50 percent
08:38of cases if untreated. What's more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported one
08:44terrifying way this meningococcal disease is spread — sharing saliva. The CDC added that
08:49it takes close or lengthy contact to spread these bacteria. Things like coughing and kissing were
08:54cited as examples. However, meningococcal meningitis isn't very common in the United
08:58States. In fact, the rate of the disease has been on the decline since the 90s.
09:03Still, it's something to be aware of.
09:06When you have a food allergy, you tend to be pretty diligent about what you eat — and even
09:11where you eat — to ensure you don't have a reaction. Even if your allergy isn't severe
09:15enough, you probably watch out for things that can trigger a reaction. But did you know that
09:19kissing can be one of those triggers? If you aren't careful, the person you lock lips with
09:24might end up giving you hives. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Investigational
09:28Allergology and Clinical Immunology concluded that what other people eat can influence the
09:34quality of life of food-allergic patients. The study confirmed that kissing is one such way
09:39this happens. That's right — if you have a food allergy and kiss someone who recently
09:44ate something you're allergic to, you could have a severe allergic reaction.
09:48According to the study, 12 percent of the patients experienced allergic symptoms when
09:52in close contact with a person who had eaten a non-tolerated food prior to that encounter.
09:57If you have a food allergy, you're going to want to be extra cautious when sharing kisses.
10:03Out of all the diseases that can be transmitted through kissing,
10:06you may not have pictured gingivitis. It seems odd that an oral mouth disease can be transferred
10:12from one person to the next, but the dirty truth about kissing is that it can apparently lead to
10:17gum disease. However, this is only the case if you've been kissing someone who already has it.
10:22According to MedicineNet, the bacteria that causes gingivitis, or gum disease,
10:26can be passed between people who share utensils, cups, water bottles,
10:30silverware, and yes, saliva. Nevertheless, these bacteria aren't the sole cause of gingivitis.
10:35Dental health and diet play an important role. If your partner or spouse has gum disease,
10:40that doesn't mean you have to completely avoid getting intimate with them. Just make sure to
10:44take good and proper care of your own oral health. That way, any transmitted germs won't
10:48stand a chance of causing gum disease. When you were in high school or college,
10:53you were probably warned about mononucleosis, or mono as it is often called. The disease is
10:58a type of virus that has a lot of the same symptoms as the cold or flu, but tends to last
11:03a lot longer. Mono is also well known for being easily transmitted through kissing. After all,
11:08there's a reason people tend to call it the kissing disease. While mono can be spread through
11:13coughing, sneezing, or sharing utensils, it's usually transmitted through saliva.
11:17Who knew something so horrifying could be lurking in that hot and steamy kiss?
11:21Mono is pretty common, though, and as the Mayo Clinic reported, it's generally not something
11:26to be too concerned with. However, if you develop symptoms of mononucleosis that last
11:30longer than two weeks, it's probably time to see a doctor and get it checked out.
11:36It might sound obvious to say that kissing makes you feel good, but there's actually more truth to
11:40it than that. There are scientific reasons why kissing feels so great, and it has a lot to do
11:45with hormones. According to Healthline, your lips are the part of your body with the most
11:50nerve endings, so the actual physical touch of a kiss truly does make you feel amazing.
11:55I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.
12:02Good night."
12:03Then there's the feel-good chemicals released during kissing. A 2013 study found that the
12:08chemical oxytocin, a hormone released during kissing, helps men to feel a strong connection
12:14with their partner and means they will be more likely to stay loyal and monogamous to that person.
12:19Additionally, another study in the Articles of Sexual Behavior published that same year
12:24found a relationship between kissing frequency and relationship satisfaction.
12:28The more smooching, the higher the relationship satisfaction.
12:31Kissing is a surefire way to feel great and increase your happiness,
12:35even if it is arguably pretty dirty.