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Claim: A social media influencer, Omotara Lawrence, tweeted on May 12, 2024, that a lack of kisses can lead to sore throats, hair loss, and deafness in one ear.
Verdict: Misleading. No scientific evidence supports the assertion that a lack of kisses can lead to sore throats, hair loss, or deafness in one ear. These health issues are caused by other factors unrelated to kissing.
Full Text
Kissing is often regarded as an intimate act that can enhance emotional bonds between individuals. However, misinformation about its health benefits or consequences can spread rapidly, especially on social media platforms. Recently, a viral post made several unfounded claims about the health impacts of not kissing.
Sense organs such as the throat, hair, and ears play crucial roles in our daily lives. The throat is vital for speech and swallowing. Hair can indicate overall health and well-being; the ears are essential for hearing and balance. Providing accurate information about these organs is critical, as misinformation can lead to unnecessary anxiety and improper self-diagnosis.
On May 12, 2024, a social media influencer, Omotara Lawrence, tweeted “a lack of kisses can result in sore throats, hair loss, and deafness in one ear.” This post went viral, attracting significant engagement of 699 reposts, 602 quotes, 3,314 likes, 373 bookmarks, and more than 848,000 views.
Following the claim, the comments on the post reveal the impact of such claims on the public.
An X user, @Road to Rich Aunty, commented, “It’s only deafness that I have not confirmed. You’re very correct,” indicating how some people may accept and propagate this misinformation without verification.
Another user @FS Yusuf, said, “Now I know why I have been having the flu for 2 weeks now,” suggesting that individuals might misattribute their symptoms to the lack of kisses, thereby ignoring other potential causes or treatments.
Additionally, @Agana George noted in pidgin, “You for tell me this thing since I no for waste money for the chemist,” expressing regret over spending money on (perhaps) legitimate medical treatment based on the false belief promoted by the post.
Moreover, several social media users on Facebook made similar posts, which indicates how viral this claim has become. See here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Despite the viral nature of the claim, many people might consider it not serious, funny, or just a joke. However, not everyone will recognise it as such. The fact that the poster did not include a disclaimer indicating it was a joke and that the claim has generated over 800,000 views from an account with more than 800,000 followers further complicates the situation. The comments also reveal that some people believe the claim is true. It would be a significant mistake to dismiss it outright.
We live in a country with low media literacy. A country where people bathed with salt to prevent Ebola and drank hot water to cure COVID-19, despite widespread warnings from medical experts that these measures were ineffective. Given this context, DUBAWA opted to verify the authenticity of such claims.
Verification
To verify this claim, DUBAWA conducted a thorough search using reputable medical websites and consulted some medical professionals.
According to Healthline, the claims that a lack of kisses can lead to sore throats, hair loss, and deafness in one ear are unfounded scientifically. Sore throats are commonly caused by viral or bacterial infections, allergies, or environmental factors.
Hair loss can result from various causes, including genetics, hormonal changes, medical conditions, and stress. Deafness in one ear can be due to infections, earwax buildup, or more serious conditions such as Meniere’s disease. No scientific evidence links these health issues to the absence of kissing.
Expert Opinions
Dr Anas Chika, a Medical Officer at General Hospital Wurno, refutes the claim that a lack of kissing leads to negative health consequences such as sore throat, hair loss, or deafness. In an interview with a DUBAWA reporter, Dr Chika clarified that these conditions have well-established causes unrelated to kissing.
Also, we contacted Dr Nafiu Abdulsalam, Medical Officer at Shagari Local Government of Sokoto State.
“There is no evidence(s) to suggest that any of the above claims are true,” he said.
Conclusion
The claim that a lack of kisses can lead to sore throats, hair loss, and deafness in one ear is misleading. These health issues have established causes that are unrelated to the act of kissing.
This fact-check is produced for the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking Fellowship in partnership with Garkuwa FM to enrich the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in Nigeria.
