
If When You Make Love, Your Partner Doesn’t Kiss You… Here’s What It Might Mean đł
Letâs face it: making love without kissing is like eating spaghetti without sauceâtechnically possible, but something just feels… off.
If your partner doesnât kiss you during intimacy, you might start spiraling: Is it me? Is it them? Is it both of us and a ghost of bad chemistry past? But donât panic just yet. There are some surprisingly real reasons why someone might skip kissing in bedâand itâs not always about a lack of love or attraction.
Letâs break it down. đ
1. Not Everyone Grew Up Kissing
Believe it or not, some cultures donât emphasize kissing at all. In fact, a study published in American Anthropologist found that only 46% of 168 cultures surveyed worldwide practice romantic or sexual kissing. That means for over half the worldâs population, kissing isn’t a natural part of intimacy!
So if your partner isnât into kissing, they might just be wired differentlyâor raised in an environment where kissing was seen as either too intimate, too awkward, or just not âa thing.â
2. They Might Be Emotionally Guarded
Kissingâespecially on the lipsâis one of the most emotionally vulnerable things you can do. It involves direct eye contact, physical closeness, and breathing in sync. Thatâs some serious intimacy.
According to psychologist Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, âKissing increases the emotional stakes of a relationship. Itâs a face-to-face act of trust.â
So, if your partner avoids kissing, it might be because it makes them feel too emotionally exposedâeven more so than sex itself.
3. They’re Focused on Performance, Not Connection
Letâs be real: sometimes people treat intimacy like a to-do list. Check this box, move to that position, now done. đź
In those cases, kissingâbeing slow, tender, and unstructuredâdoesnât âfitâ into the performance routine. If thatâs your partner, it doesnât mean they donât care about you. But it might mean theyâre disconnected from the emotional side of intimacy, and more tuned into the physical outcome.
It might be time to talk about slowing things down and rediscovering what made kissing fun in the first place.
4. Mouth Insecurity Is Real
Yep. Bad breath, dental issues, or even something as small as chapped lips can make someone avoid kissing like itâs a job interview.
In a 2019 survey by Match.com, over 67% of singles said that bad breath was a deal-breaker on a date. And over 40% admitted to avoiding kisses when they werenât âmouth-ready.â So maybe your partnerâs silence isnât rejectionâitâs just gum-related self-awareness. đ
5. They Associate Kissing With Deep Love
This might sound odd, but some people only kiss when theyâre truly in love. For them, sex might just be a fun or casual activityâbut kissing? Thatâs sacred.
This idea was highlighted in a study from the University of Oxford, which found that people often use kissing as a biological filterâa way to subconsciously determine if someoneâs a long-term mate. So if theyâre not kissing you, it could be because theyâre subconsciously trying not to fall too hard, too fast.
Crazy, right?
So What Should You Do?
If you’re feeling confused or rejected because your partner doesnât kiss during intimacy, you’re not alone. But here’s what you shouldn’t do: overthink in silence.
Instead, try this:
- Talk about it. Calmly ask, “Hey, Iâve noticed we donât kiss much. Is that something you think about?”
- Be open. Share what kissing means to you. For some, itâs just a habit. For others, itâs loveâs fingerprint.
- Test the waters. Add a kiss before things heat up and see how they respond. It might awaken something!
- Keep it light. No need to accuse them. Humor + honesty = best results.
Final Thought
Kissing isnât just a physical actâitâs a message. Sometimes that message is âI love you,â sometimes itâs âYou taste like garlic bread,â and sometimes⌠itâs just âIâm here, with you.â
So next time youâre lying there thinking, Why didnât they kiss me? â remember, itâs not always about love lost. It could be about culture, insecurity, or even strategy. And the best way to find out?
Use your lips⌠to talk. đ