Saliva smells so bad, why don't couples feel sick when they kiss? scientific explanation
Have you ever seen someone who is afraid of kissing?
Last night, a reader shared his own experience with Uncle Jiu. After reading it, I realized that some people are really afraid of kissing:
After being single for 20 years, I finally met the girl I liked. After chasing for a long time, I finally mustered the courage to confess.
I took her home that night, and under the dim light of the intersection, I took her hand in a mysterious way. She stopped a little nervously and looked up at me awkwardly. At that time, there was only one thought in my mind: "kiss it down"! I approached her slowly, and seeing that she didn't dodge, my heart beat faster.
However, the instant our lips touched, my breathing became short, even a little breathless . I thought I was too nervous, but things got out of control, I started sweating profusely, the corners of my mouth twitched, I felt like I was dying, my brain was as blank as a dead machine, and the remaining lucidity made me push her away at once ...
Later, we didn't follow up, and even though I still liked her, she refused to meet.
Since then, I have had a psychological shadow on kissing. Later, I talked to a few girlfriends, and each time it developed to the point of kissing, and I was full of ugliness. I checked a lot of information and began to suspect that I have a phobia of kissing...
The phobia of kissing
For most people, kissing can create a sense of pleasure and enhance the relationship between the two parties. But there is such a group of people in the world who are afraid of kissing and bear a great psychological burden because of it.
Kissing phobia - is a scientific term used to describe this behavior . Kissing phobia can occur at any age, and is common in younger people, with mild to moderate anxiety, and severe anxiety may occur in severe cases.
In addition, the symptoms and severity of different "patients" vary, with chills, increased heart rate, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating, and tremors being common . In severe cases, as long as they see the word "kissing", they will feel uncomfortable, and they will fall into psychological panic when they see the kissing picture.
Kissphobes worry more about emotional distress than physical symptoms . Because of the fear of kissing, they will unknowingly avoid intimacy, avoid further development with others, and then fail to establish a romantic relationship, which will eventually lead to loneliness and affect normal social interaction.
After all, why do some people develop a phobia of kissing?
Some scholars have found that the superficial cause of kissing phobia is "fear of being dirty" , worrying that kissing someone will bring bacteria and cause illness; or worry about bad breath, which will cause discomfort to both parties, which is unacceptable. The underlying reason is the resistance to intimacy , the unwillingness to be in close contact with others, and the subconscious thinking that kissing is an aggressive behavior, and is disgusted by it.
2. Why don't couples feel dirty in their saliva when they kiss?
People with a phobia of kissing may be curious : saliva obviously smells stinky , why don’t couples feel stinky and dirty when kissing?
First, let's talk about why saliva smells bad.
Saliva itself is colorless and odorless, but saliva contains amylase, which is protein in nature, and will rapidly oxidize and decompose when it comes into contact with the air to generate sulfide and produce odor. If there are oral diseases, such as stomatitis, dental calculus, bleeding gums, etc., it is also easy to breed putrefactive bacteria, making saliva smell bad.
Wouldn't it be disgusting for the couple to exchange saliva when they kissed? Of course not!
On the one hand, when a couple kisses, the saliva of both parties is not exposed to the air, will not be oxidized, and naturally has no peculiar smell. On the other hand, when couples kiss, their bodies will release various " happy hormones " ( dopamine , adrenaline, etc. ), reducing cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and the body and brain are in a relaxed and happy state , " saliva nausea " The idea is already negligible!
Finally, let's take a look at some drool-related issues.
Three, saliva, interesting and useful!
1. What is the use of saliva?
The human body has 6 major salivary glands and hundreds of minor salivary glands. Saliva is a transparent liquid secreted by salivary glands, which helps keep the mouth moist and comfortable, promotes chewing and swallowing, fights oral bacteria, protects enamel, prevents bad breath and oral diseases, etc. .
Under normal circumstances, the human body secretes 1-1.5 liters of saliva every day , more in the evening and less at night. If the saliva is secreted too little for a long time, it will cause dry mouth , and the oral tissues such as the tongue and gums become swollen, which is easy to breed bacteria, leading to bad breath and oral diseases.
2. Why is there a hint of sweetness?
When you taste the saliva, you may feel a hint of sweetness. This is because the residual food starch in the mouth is digested by amylase, which produces maltose, which produces the sweetness. However, if your mouth is often visibly sweet, suspect a medical condition, such as diabetes, neurological problems, bacterial infections, Pseudomonas infections, vitamin deficiencies, ketosis, etc.
3. Wipe some saliva on the wound, can it be disinfected?
When we were young, after we accidentally fell and scratched the skin, the elderly in the family would smear a little saliva on the wound, saying that it can be disinfected and the wound will heal faster. However, the content of lysozyme in saliva is very small, and it cannot play the role of sterilization and disinfection at all . Conversely, saliva can carry a variety of fungi, bacteria, and viruses that smear on wounds and can lead to further infections .
Finally, Jiu Shu hopes that the reader at the beginning of the article can let go of his fears and embrace intimacy. If he is really troubled, he can try psychological counseling to make his life happier.
References:
[1]Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B. Specific phobias. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X
[2]https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/what-is-saliva
[3]Sweet Taste in Mouth: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention BY JAMES CONCATO · PUBLISHED OCTOBER 8, 2017 · UPDATED JANUARY 23, 2018
Reproduction is prohibited without the author's permission