The Blog
46 long-form articles from C.J. McKenna on the technique, science, and emotional logic of kissing well. Research-backed, experience-tested, and written for the parts most tips skip.
Start with the fundamentals or jump straight to whatever is on your mind — first kiss nerves, practice methods, height differences, making out, or the neuroscience of why kisses feel the way they do.
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Special Situations
Public kissing is a confidence game more than a technique game. Here's how to pull off the sidewalk kiss, the airport kiss, the party kiss, and the one in front of your friends without turning it cringe.
Special Situations
The driveway kiss is the most mythologized moment in modern dating. Here's how to actually pull it off: the angle, the setup, the console problem, and what nobody warns you about.
Science
You've kissed someone and forgotten your own name. You've also kissed someone and felt absolutely nothing. Same you, same lips, completely different experience. Here's the neuroscience of why.
Relationships
You like them. You want to keep kissing them. But something's off and you don't know how to say it. Here's how to redirect a bad kisser without making them feel terrible about themselves.
Relationships
The best kiss you'll ever give is the one they don't see coming. Here are seven surprise kisses that bypass overthinking and land directly in long-term memory.
Science
A single kiss triggers four neurotransmitter systems, lowers blood pressure, trains your immune system, and burns calories. Here's the full science of what happens inside you when you kiss someone.
Mistakes
You're not a bad kisser. You're an overthinking one. Here's the neuroscience behind the loop in your head and five techniques that actually break it.
Anatomy
Your partner's body is a map and you've been visiting the same two cities your whole life. Here's the neuroscience of where to kiss someone, from the spots everyone knows to the ones nobody thinks to try.
Techniques
Passionate kissing isn't about force or intensity. It's about presence. Here's how to build real fire through escalation, restraint, and reading your partner.
Relationships
You're not broken. Twenty-one percent of people skip kissing because they don't enjoy it. Here's why some people feel nothing when they kiss, what's behind it, and what to do about it.
Science
Kissing is objectively weird. So why do billions of humans do it? New research traces the answer back 21 million years, and the truth changes how you think about every kiss.
First Kiss
You've never been kissed and you feel behind. Here's the truth about late first kisses, why the timeline is a lie, and how to stop waiting and start living.
Mistakes
Kissing shouldn't feel like parallel parking. Here's why kisses go sideways, what your brain is doing to sabotage you, and the specific fixes that make everything click.
First Kiss
The real secret to getting kissed isn't a move or a trick. It's understanding the specific things that make someone unable to stop thinking about your mouth.
Special Situations
Kissing someone new is its own skill. Here's how to handle the nerves, drop the muscle memory of your ex, and make that first kiss with a new person feel natural.
Relationships
Everyone wants a number. The real answer is more interesting. Here's what research says about kiss duration, Gottman's 6-second rule, and how to know when a kiss should end.
Science
New research proves it's not about technique. Here's what actually makes someone a good kisser, backed by a 2026 study and a lot of firsthand research.
Special Situations
You've caught feelings for a friend and now you can't stop thinking about kissing them. Here's how to cross that line without burning the whole friendship down.
Science
Your brain literally can't handle kissing and seeing at the same time. Here's the neuroscience behind why we close our eyes when kissing, and what it means for better kisses.
Techniques
Everyone talks about passionate kissing. Nobody talks about the power of going slow. Here's why the unhurried kiss is the most seductive move you're not using.
Relationships
The kiss just ended and your brain just stopped working. Here's exactly what to do, say, and text after a kiss so the next one comes easy.
First Kiss
Should you ask before kissing someone? 388 women answered that question. Here are 5 ways to ask for a kiss that build tension instead of killing it.
Techniques
Can't breathe while kissing? You're not broken. Learn the nose breathing trick, natural pause technique, and 5 fixes to stop gasping for air mid-kiss.
Relationships
The best kiss you ever give might be the one you almost don't. Learn 7 ways to build irresistible anticipation that makes every kiss hit harder.
Techniques
A lip bite can be the hottest move in your kissing arsenal or a trip to awkward town. Learn exactly when, where, and how to bite a lip during a kiss.
First Kiss
Not sure if they want to be kissed? Learn the 12 research-backed body language signals that reveal when someone is ready, plus the one rule that makes them reliable.
First Kiss
Not sure when to go for the kiss on a date? Learn exactly how to read the moment, choose the right timing, and make that first date kiss one neither of you forgets.
Special Situations
Height differences make kissing interesting, not impossible. Learn the positions, angles, and creative workarounds that turn an awkward gap into your signature move.
Techniques
Beards can scratch, tickle, or feel amazing depending on technique. Learn how to kiss someone with facial hair without the burn, and how beard-wearers can make it better for their partners.
Preparation
Braces don't have to ruin your kissing life. Learn exactly how to kiss confidently with braces, from your first gentle peck to full make-out sessions.
Techniques
Kissing is a conversation, not a performance. Learn how to read your partner's rhythm, match their energy, and create the kind of kisses that feel like you've known each other forever.
First Kiss
The hardest part isn't the kiss itself. It's knowing when to go for it. Learn how to read body language signals and confidently initiate a kiss without awkwardness.
Preparation
Bad breath is the silent kiss-killer. Learn how to always have fresh, kiss-ready breath with practical tips that go beyond just popping a mint.
Techniques
Want to practice kissing before the real thing? Here's what actually helps, what's a waste of time, and the truth nobody tells you about getting better.
Techniques
Making out is more than just extended kissing. Learn how to build intensity, read your partner, and create makeout sessions that leave you both breathless.
First Kiss
Your first kiss doesn't have to be awkward. Learn exactly how to kiss someone for the first time with step-by-step techniques that feel natural, not rehearsed.
Anatomy
Your lips pack 100 times more nerve endings than your fingertips. Learn how this remarkable anatomy shapes great kissing, and why lighter touch creates stronger sensation.
Techniques
96% of women rank the neck above nipples for pleasure. Learn exactly where and how to kiss someone's neck with techniques that create shivers, not tickles.
Science
Your brain runs a secret chemistry lab every time you kiss. Discover the fascinating science behind why kissing feels so good and what it does to your body.
Relationships
One in five couples goes a whole week without kissing. Here's why it happens, what it means for your relationship, and exactly how to reignite the spark.
Techniques
Stop the awkward T-Rex arms. Learn exactly where to put your hands while kissing to amplify connection, build chemistry, and make every kiss unforgettable.
Techniques
Learn how to French kiss with confidence. Master the art of passionate kissing with expert techniques that create real connection, not awkward tongue wrestling.
Relationships
Discover what different types of kisses reveal about your relationship. From forehead kisses to French kisses, learn the hidden language of intimacy.
Mistakes
Worried you might be a bad kisser? Learn the 7 telltale signs and exactly how to fix each one. No judgment, just solutions.
First Kiss
Everyone is nervous before a first kiss. Learn how to read the signals, build the moment, and move through the nerves.
Techniques
Learn how to be a better kisser with 7 expert techniques. Master the Mirror Technique and create chemistry that lingers.
About the Author
Author of Kiss Perfect Now: A Master Class in Kissology, an intimacy expert whose work focuses on the mechanics, neuroscience, and emotional practice of kissing well. Every article here reflects first-hand coaching experience and peer-reviewed research — the goal is advice that holds up under a microscope and still works at dinner.
Topics of focus: kissing techniques, intimacy, relationship science, body language, physical chemistry.