When it comes to relationships, the vast majority of people will make things up as they go along and this can lead to all manner of bumps in the road of the relationship.
To help smooth out these bumps, researchers like husband and wife duo Dr John Gottman and Dr Julie Schwartz Gottman have dedicated their lives to exploring every facet of relationships. The breadth of their research even extends to the act of kissing and the pair recommend the ideal amount of time a kiss with your partner should last.
How long a kiss with your partner should last
Drs John and Julie Gottman recently appeared on an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Stephen Bartlett.
Their conversation naturally delved into all aspects of romantic relationships and one particularly noteworthy question centered around the importance of kissing.
The renowned psychologists recommend that couples practice the ‘six-second kiss’ which as you can probably ascertain, is a kiss that lasts for six seconds.
“The six-second kiss, which we recommend, has much more potential than that peck on the cheek,” explains Dr John Gottman in the podcast.
This is because “oxytocin gets secreted,” he adds. Oxytocin is often referred to as the ‘love hormone.’
According to Harvard Medical School, oxytocin has been shown to promote positive feelings in the body and has a positive impact on things like relaxation, trust and psychological stability.
Dr Gottman continues: “With a 20-second hug or a six-second kiss, you’re both secreting oxytocin and that creates a sense of psychological safety and connection and bonding.”
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Why a six-second kiss is so beneficial
As well as appearing on The Diary of a CEO podcast, the Gottman doctors, who have more than five decades of experience in the field, have founded The Gottman Institute, a program of research that aims to increase the understanding of relationships.
On The Gottman Institute website, there is further information on why a six-second kiss with your partner is particularly beneficial.
Not only does it help to boost the connection you have with your partner but it can also be a good exercise in mindfulness as it can stop the busyness in your brain.
As well as that, a six-second kiss can help to boost the fondness and admiration between couples, initiate self-soothing and help to reduce the stress hormone cortisol – that’s as well as boosting oxytocin as Dr Gottman discussed in the podcast.
