Yes, feeling an urge to kiss someone is completely normal, natural, and common, often linked to strong emotions like love, attraction, or loneliness, and is sometimes called basorexia, the intense desire to kiss. This urge stems from a biological need for connection, releasing feel-good chemicals like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which create pleasure, bonding, and reduce stress.
Attachment and affection needs: unmet needs for intimacy or affection can manifest as impulses to seek close, bonding behaviors like kissing. Social learning and habit: if kissing has previously felt rewarding or reduced anxiety, the brain can form an association that triggers the impulse in social interactions.
Electric impulses bounce between the brain, lips, tongue and skin, which can lead to the feeling of being on a natural “high” because of a potent cocktail of chemical messengers involved. A passionate kiss acts like a drug, causing us to crave the other person thanks to a neurotransmitter called dopamine.
Basorexia means the overwhelming desire, or sudden urge, to kiss someone.
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.
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.
Anthropologists disagree on whether kissing is an instinctual or learned behaviour. Those who believe kissing to be an instinctual behaviour cite similar behaviours in other animals such as bonobos, which are known to kiss after fighting - possibly to restore peace.
A majority of Europeans and Americans surveyed confessed that sexual fantasies were a fact of life, While some people said they envisioned kissing or cuddling their exes, strangers, or friends and acquaintances; visions of sexual encounters were far more popular.
While basorexia is not officially recognized as a clinical disorder, its psychological implications are intriguing. Some experts believe that individuals with a heightened sense of basorexia may have an underlying need for emotional closeness and intimacy.
Release of dopamine
When kissing, dopamine is released, which is responsible for feelings of euphoria and pleasure. It also has an addictive effect, which is why you might not want to stop locking lips.
Does a guy fall in love by kissing? We couldn't say for sure. In scientific terms, though, what happens when we kiss is that the reward centers in our brains are unlocked, releasing a flow of oxytocin and vasopressin, the chemicals that make people feel happy and attached to someone else.
They feel more passion and desire – Tongue kisses are often linked to deeper intimacy and attraction. 🤝 They want stronger connection – It can be their way of showing closeness and wanting to bond emotionally.
When two people kiss, the body releases a cocktail of neurochemicals: dopamine, which creates feelings of pleasure and reward; oxytocin, often called the 'bonding hormone', which promotes attachment and trust; and serotonin, which stabilizes mood. Together, they produce what many describe as a natural 'high'.
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.
Avoiding physical closeness—avoiding sex or severely reducing sexual contact; eluding physical affection; avoiding proximity/closeness (e.g., hugging, kissing, holding hands, sitting close; avoiding sharing the same bed; walking ahead or behind, etc.); also may retreat when affection is offered.
A passionate kiss can spike the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is linked to feelings of craving and desire. Oxytocin, known as the “love hormone,” fosters a sense of closeness and attachment. Adrenaline boosts our heart rate and can make us start sweating as our bodies begin to anticipate what might occur later.
The strongest indicator of attraction is often considered sustained, meaningful eye contact, especially when combined with other cues like leaning in or pupil dilation, as it signals interest and intimacy, but the most reliable confirmation is always direct communication like verbal consent or expressing interest. Other key indicators include positive body language (leaning in, mirroring), increased physical closeness, frequent smiling, and a strong desire to learn about the other person, with biological factors like scent also playing a role.
Basorexia is the strong, sudden urge to kiss someone; a desire or hunger for kissing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Its etymology could perhaps be a playful spin on the French “un baiser” — a kiss.
What does it mean when a guy moans when kissing or making out? It means the guy is enjoying himself and experiencing great pleasure. Pretty straightforward.
As romantic as it might be to think so, kissing is not a universal gesture among human beings. Even today, there exist some cultures, such as the Mehinaku tribe of Amazonia and sub-Saharan hunter-gatherer societies, that have no place for it. This suggests that it is not innate or intuitive as it so often seems to us.
📖 According to relationship psychologists, just 10 minutes of fully present, uninterrupted conversation a day can significantly improve emotional intimacy between partners, friends — even colleagues. It's called the 10-Minute Talk Rule.
survived the dreaded two-year mark (i.e. the most common time period when couples break up), then you're destined to be together forever… right? Unfortunately, the two-year mark isn't the only relationship test to pass, nor do you get to relax before the seven-year itch.
The 777 dating rule is a relationship strategy for intentional connection, suggesting couples schedule a date every 7 days, an overnight getaway every 7 weeks, and a longer vacation every 7 months to keep the spark alive, build memories, and prevent disconnection from daily life. It's about consistent, quality time, not necessarily grand gestures, and focuses on undivided attention to strengthen intimacy and partnership over time.