India, May 24 -- Did you know that you could get depression and anxiety from your partner through mouth bacteria? Did we stump you? Well, a new study found that depression and anxiety can spread between partners if they kiss - a healthy spouse could show mental health symptoms after just six months of marriage to a depressed partner.

Each time you kiss, share food, or simply breathe near your spouse, you exchange millions of bacteria - the new research shows that this microbial sharing may also contribute to the transmission of mental health conditions.

A 2025 study of newlywed couples in Iran - published in Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine - found that when a partner suffers from depression and anxiety, they could potent...