"Relationship researcher John Gottman famously recommends a six-second kiss as a daily practice. It sounds simple, but it works because it slows a busy, overactive mind. It pulls your attention out of "fixing mode" and brings it back into the body. For a couple, it creates communication through touch without the need for problem-solving or waiting your turn to talk. It is pure presence."
"Kissing may look ordinary, but it is a high-impact, low-effort behavior. It is like the "smile therapy" of intimacy; sometimes you have to lead with the body to let the mind catch up. Regular kissing leads to: Nonverbal attunement: Communicating interest and safety without a single word. Stress regulation: It lowers cortisol, which supports overall well-being and helps you get off that "hamster wheel" of daily stress. The oxytocin boost: This "bonding hormone" supports trust and emotional grounding."
Daily life and routines often deprioritize intimacy, allowing stress and practical concerns to push relationship connection aside. A simple, intentional kiss interrupts autopilot behavior and reorients attention from problem-solving to embodied presence. A six-second kiss slows an overactive mind, creates nonverbal communication through touch, and fosters emotional attunement without words. Regular kissing lowers cortisol, helping stress regulation, and increases oxytocin, which strengthens trust and emotional grounding. Kissing has high impact with low effort and can lead to sex but should be valued independently as a tool for connection and relational maintenance.
Read at Psychology Today
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