To avoid awkward kissing, start slow with gentle lip-to-lip contact, relax, maintain eye contact beforehand, and use your hands on their neck or waist to build comfort, remembering to mirror their pace and keep the pressure light and easy, focusing on a comfortable connection rather than overthinking it. Go easy on the tongue initially, transition gradually from closed to open-mouth, and keep your mouth relaxed and clean.
Here are seven tips to puckering up without tragic consequences.
The 90/10 kissing rule, popularized by the movie Hitch, suggests that one person leans in 90% of the way for a kiss and pauses, allowing the other person to close the remaining 10%, which signals their consent and involvement, preventing it from feeling forced and creating anticipation. This technique gives the other person control, allowing them to either lean in for the kiss or pull away, indicating their comfort level.
Some signs you're a bad kisser: Going too fast, lacking enthusiasm, poor technique, and bad breath are common indicators.
That's super normal. First kisses can either be fantastic or awkward as hell and sometimes they can leave you feeling like you'd rather not do it again. But, if it's with someone you really like and know, you can learn your style better, and theirs.
Sensing the hubbub, the adrenal glands unleash adrenaline. Cue a pounding heart, heavy breathing, or sweaty palms. (If you two become a couple, kissing could eventually trigger an opposite effect—peace instead of passion.)
Keep your mouth soft and relaxed
Both a cranked-open jaw and a closed-mouth, hard pucker aren't the most pleasant to smooch. Keep your lips just-apart enough, allowing the kisses to be soft and deep, and keep your mouth relaxed. You want to see where the kiss takes you.
The "3-month kiss rule" (or 90-day rule) is a dating guideline suggesting you abstain from kissing (and sometimes sex) for the first three months of dating someone to build a stronger, less physically-driven connection, allowing you to see if the person is a good long-term fit beyond initial infatuation, much like a job probation period. Popularized by dating coaches, it aims to filter out those seeking only short-term intimacy and identify partners with more commitment and self-control, though it's a flexible guideline, not a strict rule for everyone.
Pay attention to their body language, too. If they lean in close, wrap their arms around you, or caress you during the kiss, those are all good signs. They'll also probably want to keep the action going with more kisses, or try to hold each kiss for a long time.
Prevention of infection while kissing
If kissing before marriage stimulates lust or leads to sexual immorality, it is a sin and should be avoided between couples that are not married.
Most people can't focus on anything as close as a face at kissing distance so closing your eyes saves them from looking at a distracting blur or the strain of trying to focus. Kissing can also make us feel vulnerable or self-conscious and closing your eyes is a way of making yourself more relaxed.
The longest kiss ever recorded lasted an incredible 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds. This record was set by Ekkachai Tiranarat and Laksana Tiranarat from Thailand. The couple achieved this remarkable feat in 2013, showcasing their dedication and endurance.
10+ Types of Kisses Guys Like
How long should you date before you kiss? In terms of kissing timelines, there's no hard and fast rule. “I think the most important thing is that you're getting emotionally intimate before you get physically intimate,” says Dr. Walsh.
But it does provide some rough guidelines as to how soon may be too soon to make long-term commitments and how long may be too long to stick with a relationship. Each of the three numbers—three, six, and nine—stands for the month that a different common stage of a relationship tends to end.
Making out is a term of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used to refer to kissing, including extended French kissing or necking (heavy kissing of the neck, and above), or to acts of non-penetrative sex such as heavy petting ("intimate contact, just short of sexual intercourse").
The 7-7-7 rule for couples is a guideline for maintaining strong connection by scheduling dedicated time: a date night every 7 days, a weekend getaway (or night away) every 7 weeks, and a longer, kid-free vacation every 7 months, all designed to fight drift and routine by ensuring consistent, intentional quality time, though flexibility is key.
Don't …
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