Online dating quickly raises expectations of potential partners that don’t always stand up to reality. dpa
Discreetly stretching your arm over her shoulders in the cinema. Touching his pinky on the cafe table. Those old tricks don’t work online.
That’s because a first date at the trendy new pizza place or going to see the latest blockbluster film is either risky or impossible in many parts of the world battling coronavirus outbreaks at the moment.
Single people currently have little choice other than to try out online dating. But what does meeting in real life look like under the current conditions?
Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises and your cheeks flush.
A cocktail of “cuddle” and “happy” hormones floods your body, including oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine; as many as 34 facial muscles spring into action; and millions of bacteria are transferred from mouth to mouth.
The chemistry and mechanics of kissing are well understood.
Nevertheless, the role in our lives of this millennia-old cultural practice is belittled, says Dr Wolfgang Krueger.
”Kissing is popularly seen as sexuality’s little sister, but it’s not.
“On the contrary, for couples, kissing is far more important,” maintains the psychologist, who calls it a relationship’s barometer.