Expert issues urgent warning about the 'hidden risk' for couples who aren't intimate every day

A relationship expert has uncovered the simple act of intimacy that could be the secret to a stronger, healthier bond.

And just in case you're wondering, it's not sex.

Busy schedules, social media distractions and the pressures of work and family life can make everyday intimacy difficult for couples. It’s easy for meaningful connection to slip down the priority list.

Many people assume that intimacy requires big, romantic gestures—lavish dinners, surprise getaways, or expensive gifts. But according to experts, the kind of intimacy that truly strengthens a relationship is much simpler - just like J.Lo said, it doesn’t cost a thing.

Small, consistent moments of closeness are just as important. Mariah Freya, a sex education expert, wants couples to kiss more.

As it turns out Doja Cat and SZA were onto something when they made ‘Kiss Me More’ as according to a Freya, couples really should kiss more especially if you feel like you’re losing the spark.

Kiss your partner more (Jonathan Knowles / Getty)

“Kissing is the most underrated relationship tool,” she told MailOnline. “Couples obsess over date nights, whether they're having 'enough' sex, and communication techniques, but they're sleeping on the one thing that actually predicts whether they'll stay happy together.”

A 2019 study also explored the benefits of kissing, and it found that a kiss can release endorphins such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine which are often called the body’s ‘feel-good’ chemicals by helping to reduce stress and boost pleasure.

Meanwhile, a more recent study in 2022 found that more kissing led to a ‘greater individual well-being’, which was then found in ‘the most satisfying relationships’.

But it seems couples are not kissing each other enough, as a 2011 survey revealed that nearly one in five married couples go as long as a week without touching lips, and when they finally lock lips, it only lasts for up to five seconds.

Kissing has a number of benefits (Tim Macpherson / Getty)

One of the seven things to keep an eye on in a relationship according to a different relationship expert is a lack of affection and gratitude, including a lack of kissing.

According to relationship expert and psychotherapist Kathy McCoy, couples that get too comfortable can often stop the small gestures and habits that are significant for continuous bonding.

Things as simple as ‘holding hands, hugging, cuddling or kissing, shared in-jokes, and finding joy in ordinary as well as extraordinary experiences' can start to be forgotten in relationships, per her research paper.

And when it comes to a lack of gratitude, some couples may focus too heavily on the faults of their partner, be regularly critical of them, blame them, and remind them of their shortcomings.

McCoy reiterated that people in healthy relationships feel safe and at ease with their partner, and comfortable in the person’s overall positive and supportive view of them, despite their imperfections.

So go on, pucker up with your partner as a kiss a day could keep the disconnect away.