Making out for the first time often feels like a mix of excitement, nervousness, and awkwardness, with a potential rush of pleasure from released hormones, though it's rarely perfect and can be messy, with feelings ranging from electric sparks to feeling silly, but ultimately it's about connection, not perfection. Expect a mix of butterflies, heart pounding, sweaty palms, and maybe even some fumbling, but also feelings of giddiness and intense emotion as your brain releases chemicals like dopamine.
You'll feel giddy and happy, and you may even have butterflies in your stomach. You'll naturally want to pull them closer, and it feels like time stops when you're kissing them. You might feel relaxed even as your heart rate increases.
When you kiss someone, your brain releases a rush of chemicals — dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. The same cocktail your brain releases when you take addictive drugs or eat junk food. It's your brain's way of saying: “This feels good.
Though the average age for young people to experience a first kiss is fifteen, there is absolutely no reason to rush into it because “everyone else is doing it” or you want to feel “normal.” After all, what good is a kiss if it comes with a side of regret?
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.
Oxytocin – The Bonding Hormone
When you kiss, your brain releases oxytocin [4], which can make you feel calm, happy, and safe. It also lowers stress and anxiety, which is why kissing often feels so comforting, especially during tough times.
It's called the 'no kissing for three months' (or 90 days) rule. The title of the rule is exactly what it's about. Heide suggests that in order to create fulfilling and lasting relationships, you shouldn't show exclusivity towards the person you're dating. That includes kissing and sex.
Kissing prompts the release of oxytocin, often referred to as the "love hormone." This neuropeptide helps reduce stress and promote feelings of bonding and attachment.
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.
The Chest-to-Chest Kiss
Why you'll love it: This kiss opens the door up for some extra physical contact. Your hands will be free to roam the other's body. Plus, with your chests touching, the intimacy level gets real af.
Begin with a few closed-mouth, tongueless kisses. Press your lips to your partner's, alternating between light brushes of your lips and more powerful kisses, then closed- and open-mouthed kisses. While you can leave your hands at your sides, adding a gentle caress can be enjoyable for the other party.
Some signs you're a bad kisser: Going too fast, lacking enthusiasm, poor technique, and bad breath are common indicators. How to not be a bad kisser: Start slow, use your body to add dimension, focus on your partner's reactions, and ask for feedback to improve.
A tongue kiss stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sensitive to the touch and induce sexual arousal, as the oral zone is one of the principal erogenous zones of the body. The implication is of a slow, passionate kiss which is considered intimate, romantic, erotic or sexual.
The 6 Second Kiss Rule is a simple practice where couples make a conscious effort to kiss for at least six seconds every day. This rule was popularized by relationship expert Dr. John Gottman, who emphasized the importance of small, intentional acts of intimacy in maintaining a healthy relationship.
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.)
Swollen lips after kissing can be caused by an allergic reaction or irritation from something that touched your lips, such as food, makeup, or even a drug. Sometimes, this reaction is known as angioedema, where the body releases chemicals that cause swelling.
French kisses can be more stimulating than kisses without the tongue since the lips, tongue, and other parts of the mouth are powerful erogenous zones that contribute to sexual arousal.
Don't …
It's a little more sensual than the cheek kiss.
Aim for a kiss right on his jawline to give him butterflies. It's not quite a neck kiss, but it's not a friendly peck on the cheek, either. It also draws attention to his strong jawline, which is always a win.