Study Suggests The Physical Connection Of Kissing Influences Positive Emotion, Extends Life
- A 10-year German study suggests that men who kiss their wives for at least six seconds tend to live longer. During the elongated kiss, the body produces hormones such as oxytocin, which promote positive feelings and emotions.
- “During the act of kissing, sensations go directly to the limbic system, which is the part of the brain associated with love, passion, and lust,” psychologists Linda Bloom and Charlie Bloom said in Psychology Today regarding the study.
- Gynecological oncologist Dr. Dana Chase encourages patients to focus on positive emotions while undergoing cancer treatment. Like the study on longer kisses, focusing on the positive promotes positive emotions and health, which is associated with survival, better quality of life, and better outcomes.
Unlocking the secret to longevity might just be a six-second kiss, especially for married men, as revealed by a ten-year German study.
“Men who kiss their wives goodbye when they leave for work live something like four years longer than men who don’t,” Dr. John Gottman said on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
Read MoreView this post on InstagramDr. Gottman and his wife, Dr. Julie Gottman, have studied marriage and relationships for years. A notable finding in their research was the lingering impact of men kissing their wives regularly.
Dr. Gottman recommends six seconds because it takes about that long for the body to produce certain hormones that promote positive feelings.
“Oxytocin gets secreted with a 20-second hug or a six-second kiss you’re both; you’re both secreting oxytocin, and that creates a sense of psychological safety and connection and bonding,” Dr. Gottman said.
Dr. Gottman adds the long kiss elevates a sense of safety and connection between partners.
Psychology Today draws attention to a study piggybacking off of Dr. Gottman’s work. It was published in the West German magazine Selecta. It studied 110 industrial managers and found that “87 percent” of them who kissed their wives before leaving for work saw an “increase in pay and held their management positions.” This led to them having a more positive attitude about their day. Conversely, men who did not kiss their wives daily tended to have a negative attitude and were more moody, depressed, and disinterested in their work.
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“During the act of kissing, sensations go directly to the limbic system, which is the part of the brain associated with love, passion, and lust,” psychologists Linda Bloom and Charlie Bloom said in Psychology Today.
Linda and Charlie Bloom continued, “The love cocktail is composed of neurotransmitters and hormones, including dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, adrenaline, and endorphins.”
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The Benefits of Positive Emotion
Longer kisses may increase positive emotions, which can also be helpful for cancer patients. Patients who focus on the positive tend to do better throughout their treatment journey.
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, remember that your life does not have to come to a complete stop. You can and should continue doing things that keep your emotional health in a positive space.
According to SurvivorNet experts, prioritizing your overall well-being and continuing to do what you love can be very beneficial because it can positively influence your treatment outcomes.
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“We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes,” Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecological oncologist at Arizona Center for Cancer Care, tells SurvivorNet.
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