Sex, sex, sex. It seems to be on everyone’s mind: reasons why you’re not having it, how to get more of it — and maybe more so for those estimated 40 million Americans living in a sexless marriage (defined as having sex less than 10 times a year, according to therapists).
But instead of sprinting back to the bedroom, maybe one should take things slow and start with the basic building block of intimacy: kissing.
Kissing can be “more intimate than having sex” but is one of the first things to go in a long-term or sexless marriage, says Jill Blakeway, clinic director of the YinOva Center in New York City and author of the forthcoming book Sex Again: Recharging Your Libido. When kissing falls by the wayside, it’s the first step to losing passion in a relationship, she notes.
“[I’ve had patients tell me,] ‘We used to spend hours kissing,'” Blakeway said. “Then I would ask, ‘Well how long do you spend kissing now?’ One patient said ‘When I first get in, I kiss my dog. Then I kiss my husband.'”
But it’s crucial to make time for making out, Blakeway said. “Kissing is one of the first ways we connect sexually,” she said. “And then over time it goes down. But there are some physical things that make kissing important. It decreases the level of cortisol, which is a stress hormone and it increases oxytocin, which is a bonding hormone. And that’s why, chemically speaking, kissing makes people more relaxed and builds connection. Chinese medicine says that the mouth and the tongue have a connection to the heart…
Read more: Huffington Post
