What if it wasn’t someone’s outward appearance that attracted you, but the way that person smelled? Studies conducted on the genetics behind mate preference have shown that attraction may be based on a particular set of genes known as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). These genes play a large role in the body’s ability to fight off certain pathogens. In relation to mate selection, it would be wise for a person to seek out a mate with a dissimilar set of MHC genes to ensure a broader immune system for any offspring they may produce. According to some research, this exactly what we do, and we do it with our sense of smell.
It is not fully understood how people determine which set of MHC genes a potential mate may possess, but it is believed that our sense of smell plays an important role. Studies have been conducted in which people were instructed to rate attractiveness based on scent. The participants were given t-shirts worn by others and told to base their rating on how the clothing smelled. The participants tended to give a higher attractiveness rating to the t-shirts worn by people with dissimilar MHC genes than those they possessed themselves. It appears that people actually do sniff out their mates!
It is important to note that there are exceptions to this rule. Hormonal contraception can wreak havoc on a woman’s ability to sniff out the right set of MHC genes. In fact, birth control pills tend to make women prefer men who possess similar MHC genes, which may cause them to mate with someone who is not genetically suitable. The menstrual cycle can also play a large role in what both men and women find attractive about one another. For men, the scent of a woman who is near ovulation is more attractive than a woman who is not. For women, the preference of male scent, as well as other traits, changes throughout her cycle.
Further study in this area could help us better understand the reasons behind relationships that work and relationships that do not. Maybe there isn’t such a thing as bad relationships—just bad noses. Maybe there is a link between the way we love and the way we smell. Maybe instead of signing up with that trendy new dating website, you should just follow your nose!
scent is so much more powerful then we let on. it's so surprising to find out how much influence it can hold over people, without them even knowing. i had a professor last semester who swore she had a sense of smell as good as a shark (their olfactory senses are crazy good). she told us about how she really believed she was attracted to her husband and could recognize her children by their scent. so when her husband began taking accutane, she swore it messed with his chemistry and changed his scent to the point where she told him she didn't feel attracted to him anymore (to this of course, he immediately stopped taking the drug, ha). i do believe that scent has something to do with who we choose to be attracted to, and i love the idea of that.
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