Your face and mouth:
It all starts with a tilt to the right. Eighty per cent of people angle their head that way when going in for a smooch. Gets awk when someone doesn’t.
You make contact and… sensory explosion! Lips are up to 200 times more sensitive than your touchy fingertips. Now that’s a lip-smacking stat. Meanwhile, your nose is buried in his scent, which may be emitting subtle chemical attractants that
could intensify your arousal.
A quick peck uses a couple of muscles, but kissing passionately engages some 24 facial muscles – plus 100 others in the body. (Hence why a fierce session might slay up to 420kJ. Bye-bye frozen yoghurt snack.)
Your salivary glands begin their own workout, pumping out extra spit. Yep. During a real tongue twist, about 9ml of your saliva finds its way into his mouth (and vice versa).
Why do we happily engage in this drool-exchange? “There is evidence that saliva has testosterone in it,” says anthropologist Dr Helen Fisher, author of Why Him? Why Her? “And there is evidence that men like sloppier kisses with more open mouth.
That suggests they are unconsciously trying to transfer testosterone to stimulate sex drive in women.”
Your blood flow:
If you’re really into this bloke, the kiss sends shock waves throughout your body that can increase blood flow to certain areas. Hello, high-beam nipples and downstairs tingles!
Your adrenal glands:
Sensing the uproar, the adrenal glands unleash adrenaline. Cue a pounding heart, heavy breathing or sweaty palms. (And if you two become a couple, kissing could eventually trigger an opposite effect – peace instead of passion.)
Your brain:
The physical thrill may prompt your brain to cue up dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. At the same time, other parts of your brain are shutting down negative emotions. What Marvin Gaye would call sexual healing.
Your mood:
Your lip-locking sesh may have prompted his pituitary gland to release oxytocin, the “bonding hormone”, according to Lafayette College in the US. So you two might already be forming an emotional attachment. Any kind of pashing can reduce tension and hike happiness. Duos who kiss frequently are more likely to have long, satisfying relationships.
