Entertainment

Couples who kiss regularly are less likely to get depressed – Study

Published

3 years ago

April 24, 2022

WHEN it comes to first kisses, scientists agree with those who believe in love at first sight, happy endings and the power of that first glorious embrace. That’s because, Scientists say, a kiss is much more than just a way of saying you fancy someone. It’s an efficient means of working out if your potential partner is the one for you.

In her book: The Science of Kissing, Sheril Kirshenbaum explains: “When we are that close to another person, all our senses are engaged allowing our bodies to assess compatibility and the potential for a long-term relationship.” This behaviour, she says, evolved to help humans fulfill three basic needs – sex drive, romantic love and attachment. “In other words,” she says, “kissing helps us find partners, commit to one person and keep couples together long enough to have a child.”

So how does locking lips help us achieve all these? When you kiss, you can’t help smelling the other person. And biologists have found that women are more turned on by the smell of men who have very different immune systems from their own.

Kirshenbaum says; “This may be because potential children would have a higher level of genetic diversity, making them healthier and more likely to survive. In this manner, kissing serves as nature’s ultimate litmus test to help us determine when to pursue a relationship.”

And once we find our perfect genetic mate, our bodies respond instinctively to his kiss by flooding our systems with feel-good hormones. She explains that: “A good romantic kiss quicken our pulse and dilates our pupils, which is probably part of the reason so many of us close our eyes. Our brains receive more oxygen than normal and breathing can become irregular and deepen. Our cheeks flush too but that’s only the beginning. There’s an associated rise in the neurotransmitter dopamine, responsible for craving and desire.

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“Meanwhile, serotonin spikes to stimulate obsessive thoughts about a partner. This is the same neurotransmitter involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OeD), Oxytocin, popularly called the love hormone, is involved in bonding, fostering a sense of attachment. This is the chemical likely responsible for maintaining a love relationship over years and decades.”

We should not underestimate the importance of these chemicals. After all, how many of us have left the cinema after a dull romantic comedy and pointed out the ‘lack of chemistry’ between the couple who are supposed to be mad about each other? Or dreamt about how it would feel to kiss someone we have fantasised about for months – then been disappointed by the reality? For while that first kiss can be powerful enough to spark a lifelong romance, it can also break the spell.

A study of more than 1,000 students by the evolutionary psychologist George Gallup found that two-thirds of women and over half of men had been attracted to a potential partner – until they shared a disastrous first kiss. His team also found that men and women used kissing for different reasons. While the men mostly saw kissing as just a necessary step on the way to eventually having sex, women thought it was much more important. More men than women said they preferred kissing their partners with open mouths and using their tongues. And there’s even a good reason for that. Male saliva contains testosterone so it could affect how attractive the kissers find each other. Some scientists believe that men prefer sloppy kisses because they’re a way of working out how fertile a woman is – by ‘testing’ her saliva for tiny traces of oestrogen.

So when your kids scoff at your memories of that first magical kiss, tell them that without kissing, they might not have been here today. And make sure you don’t get out of the habit once your romance settles down. Research shows that couples who kiss regularly are less likely to get depressed, and those who kiss each other hello and goodbye have happier relationships than those who no longer do this.

How To Tell If Your Marriage Would Last

Are you and your spouse destined to be together forever? You don’t need a crystal ball. Just answer these five questions set by experts, honestly … Can you let things drop? Doesn’t it grate on you that he met his ex for lunch (a year age)? Is he still harping on about how you forgot your anniversary once?

Both of you need to be generous enough to put it behind you and move on. Everyone has got a past: we all mess up sometimes. Can you enjoy doing nothing together? If you can quite happily lounge around together, just enjoying the sound of silence, you work well as a couple. Do you fight right? If he’s a sulker and you’re a shouter. You could find it tricky to get to the bottom of an argument. So think about how you hammer things out and remember it is not about winning or losing – you both want the same thing.

Can you stop trying to change each other? We all try to fine-tune our partners a bit, but if you’re always offering to fix things for him, you will end up disappointed. You need to learn to accept the way your partner is or find someone you don’t need to fix!

Can you share your secrets? If you’ve opened up to him about your deepest, darkest moments but he is reluctant to talk, then you may need to think twice. It is by being open that we achieve intimacy.

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Related Topics:Couples depressed Featured kiss

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Why I married my husband – Mercy Aigbe

Published

5 days ago

November 10, 2024

Trends Admin

Mercy Aigbe

Why I married my husband – Mercy Aigbe

Popular Nollywood actress and filmmaker Mercy Aigbe has shared insights into her decision to marry popular movie marketer Kazim Adeoti, also known as Adekaz.

Speaking as a guest on Nollywood on Radio, Aigbe revealed that having a partner within the entertainment industry was a significant factor in her choice.

“One of the reasons I married him is that we’re both in the same industry,” Aigbe explained. “Together, we’re building a production empire. I just felt I needed someone in the industry to collaborate with, and it’s a good thing that he understands it too. Combining our strengths, the future looks promising.

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Aigbe’s 2023 cinema movie, Ada Omo Daddy, has already showcased the synergy between her and Adeoti, marking her successful cinema debut. Reflecting on the project’s reception, she said, “The feedback was amazing. I was a bit nervous as it was my first cinema debut, and there was heavy competition from established names in the cinema sector. But I was confident because I knew I had a sellable product.”

Aigbe also added that her intention is to be on all platforms she can make money from.

“I wont just be on cinemas I will be on all paltforms I can make money from”

Why I married my husband – Mercy Aigbe

Entertainment

P-Square feud returns as Paul Okoye claims ownership of Peter’s new single

Published

7 days ago

November 8, 2024

Trends Admin

Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye

P-Square feud returns as Paul Okoye claims ownership of Peter’s new single

In a rather shocking turn of events, Rudeboy has claimed ownership of Mr. P’s new single ‘Winning’ released on November 8, 2024.

Peter Okoye AKA Mr. P who is one half of the legendary music duo has released a new 2-pack EP with the songs ‘Winning’ and ‘Attention’ and the former has now become a subject of dispute among the brothers.

In a shocking post on his Instagram, Paul Okoye AKA Rudeboy has claimed ownership of ‘Winning’ while also uploading the demo version to back his claim in what is the latest chapter in their ongoing feud.

“Song title : WINNING

Written and sang by RUDEBOY

Produced by same producer.

NOW HOW COME ? NOW AM I SUPPOSE TO RELEASE ANOTHER VERSION? Mr Producer your case na for another day …

Just a simple thing : Bring 6 song let me bring 6 song … submitted my 6 songs to the so called management. why re-singing my own song word for word 🤷🏾‍♂️ Song that was sopos to be in my album next year June,” the caption reads in pidgin English.

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According to Rudeboy, he submitted ‘Winning’ as one of the six songs he wrote for the now-cancelled P-Square reunion album. The song appears to be a message to the dueling brothers who continue to disregard fans’ and stakeholders’ calls to settle their differences.

Rudeboy continued his outburst on his Instagram story where he said the days of manipulations are over while warning that he will continue to release the demo of any songs written by him.

‘Winning’ has now taken an ironic turn as the song that calls for peace has become the subject of a new dispute of intellectual theft between the brothers.

Mr. P has yet to react to Rudeboy’s claim in the public dispute between the brothers, who have been at loggerheads for nearly a decade.

Earlier in the year, the Okoye brothers including their older brother and former Manager Jude took to social media to share their sides of the story on the infamous EFCC case allegedly instituted by Peter against his brothers over what he claimed was mismanagement of funds.

P-Square feud returns as Paul Okoye claims ownership of Peter’s new single

Entertainment

Why I almost poisoned myself – Actress Eniola Ajao

Published

2 weeks ago

November 3, 2024

Trends Admin

Why I almost poisoned myself – Actress Eniola Ajao

Popular actress and filmmaker Eniola Ajao recently shared a harrowing experience on Nollywood on Radio, a show dedicated to Nigerian cinema.

She revealed the emotional toll that false news online had taken on her mental health, describing how she once nearly poisoned herself in response to a hurtful rumour.

“I almost poisoned myself because there was news about me online that was far from true,” Ajao said. “It was the first time in my life that I faced something so painful. I didn’t eat for seven straight days. People around me can testify – I didn’t go anywhere.”

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At the time, she was in the midst of planning her next film, a process that became increasingly difficult due to her emotional state. “My sisters were calling, telling me, ‘You have to do this for yourself. You don’t have to poison yourself.’ My son was reaching out to everyone, saying I was struggling with this lie online,” she shared.

The actress added, “I don’t even want to remember those things, honestly”, she recounted on the show.