Kissing as an Act of Love and a Biopsychosocial Regulator: A Structured Narrative Review of Its Effects on the Eight Dimensions of Well-Being and Happiness: Review Article

Ignacio Bonasa Alzuria

doi:10.58372/2835-6276.1387

Authors

Ignacio Bonasa Alzuria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58372/2835-6276.1387

Keywords:

kissing, love, well-being, happiness, attachment, affectionate communication, physical intimacy, relational health

Abstract

Romantic kissing is a complex affectionate behavior in which attachment processes, affiliative communication, physiological regulation, and relational meaning converge. Although the literature focused specifically on kissing is smaller than the broader body of work on affectionate touch, affectionate communication, physical intimacy, and relationship quality, existing studies support an integrative scientific hypothesis: when it is consensual, reciprocal, safe, and emotionally meaningful, kissing may operate as a micro-act of love with direct or indirect implications for well-being. The aim of this article was to critically review the evidence and map it onto an eight-dimension well-being model: body, cognition, emotions, transcendence, social, professional, financial, and technological well-being. A structured narrative review was conducted using focused searches in PubMed, Google Scholar, and DOI-linked publisher pages, complemented by backward reference tracking, prioritizing peer-reviewed articles, meta-analyses, ecological momentary assessment studies, longitudinal designs, and experimental work published through April 2026. Findings indicate comparatively strong support for bodily, emotional, and social-relational dimensions; moderate but mainly indirect support for cognitive and professional well-being; and predominantly conceptual support for transcendence, financial, and technological dimensions. The review also highlights that kissing should not be framed as a universally beneficial intervention: its effects depend on consent, relational context, cultural scripts, and epidemiological boundaries associated with saliva exchange. Overall, kissing deserves greater scholarly attention as a sensitive indicator of relational health and as a potentially salutogenic microbehavior embedded in broader ecologies of care.

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