Mother Talkers

The Nose Knows!

by Sue in Queens

Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 04:34:05 AM PDT

DH and DD recently subscribed to The Economist.  Most of the articles are on the dry side, and some are over my head, but this one caught my eye....or should I say caught my nose!

Seems like there is old research demonstrating that at least part of our attraction to our mates is based on smell

In his original study Dr Wedekind recruited female volunteers to sniff men's three-day-old T-shirts and rate them for attractiveness.

The attraction is based in "a part of the immune system known as the major histocompatability complex (MHC)."  Seems we are attracted to people whose DNA, and smell, is DIFFERENT from our own, and that women with similar MHC (analyzed from their DNA) prefer similar scents.

Women preferred T-shirts from men whose MHC was most different from their own. What was more, women with similar MHCs favoured the use of similar commercial perfumes. This suggests that the role of such perfumes may be to flag up the underlying body scent rather than mask it, as a more traditional view of the aesthetics of body odour might suggest.

The article suggests that this makes sense evolutionarily - we want to keep the gene pool diverse and mixed for species strength.

Of course, being The Economist, the point of the article is how someone is making money from this insight

ScientificMatch.com, a Boston-based internet-dating site launched in December, was created to turn this insight into money.

Very interesting.  And makes me feel a little less weird that I love the smell of my husband's t-shirts and pillow case.  It's not my own craziness - it's that evolutionary draw!

Tags: dna, smell (all tags)

Permalink | 15 comments

  • Why just women? (0 / 0)

    Why are these studies always women smelling men's whatevers, that's what I wonder? No one's interested to see if it works both ways (for my money, it does)?

    "You're never more alone than when you're alone in a crowd."

    by Expat Briton on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 07:17:12 AM PDT

    • there has been for the reverse (0 / 0)

      there was a BBC TV series by that doctor that does all their health/science documentaries - I can't remember his name now, but he's got dark curly hair, big glasses - really looks like a boffin. He did a series on life and included a test similar to the above, where he sniffed the shirts of some gorgeous women who obligingly went to the gym in the name of science. Wish I could remember the name of the guy...

      by Rachel on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 01:41:36 PM PDT

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  • i believe this... (0 / 0)

    and i also recall that this study or one similar tested women on birth control pills as well as those who were not.  the findings for those on bc were they favored the smell of tshirts of men who had pheremones most similar to the men in their family.  while those who were not on bc favored those with pheremones very different than those in their family.

    i was wildly attracted to my ex husband who is the father of my child. and his smell was a big component. unfortunately my "animal" nature totally superceded my brains which could have stemmed that enthusiam.  however, we got my great dd which i tend to think was a great merging of genes. did we smell that?  i think i did. before this research surfaced i often commented on how i was attracted to men with a certain smell...to me it was scent similar to ginger cookies.  go figure!

    on another note.  i also think when a women is ovulating the "Nose Knows" is the strongest.  we are afterall, animals.

    by parentalunit1 on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 08:41:03 AM PDT

    • Yes! Another part of the article (0 / 0)

      said that this "match" theory doesn't work for women on BC pills!  The animal thing is just so interesting!

      by Sue in Queens on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 01:48:04 PM PDT

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      • i find it fascinating too.. (0 / 0)

        and in retrospect, frankly made me feel a whole lot better about my ex :)

        i also wonder about birth control. i never took Birth Control pills, except for about 6 months.  the idea that nature has provided a natural attraction process that may secure the best gene pool for your offspring is interesting. might be an argument against the use of BC pills as one is trying to find a mate?

        too much of a stretch?

        by parentalunit1 on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 03:23:40 PM PDT

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        • Funny, I'd jump the other way. (0 / 0)

          That BC pills might be a positive in trying to find a mate. You get past the basic animal attraction more easily, and can find someone who's better as a partner for life rather than someone who your hormones are just telling you to jump into bed with.

          "You're never more alone than when you're alone in a crowd."

          by Expat Briton on Sat Feb 02, 2008 at 12:32:34 PM PDT

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          • true but creating children part.. (0 / 0)

            that's my question.  seeking a mate whose genetic makeup is most similar to your's( if that theory actually holds up) while on BC might not portend well for best gene pool combos when procreating.

            so combo of animal attraction and using your brains to be sure you have enough in common would seem to work.  i admit i do find this interesting.  

            by parentalunit1 on Sat Feb 02, 2008 at 01:32:19 PM PDT

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  • I'm just impressed (0 / 0)

    that your daughter reads the economist.

    by Erin on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 08:41:47 AM PDT

    • This (and Scientific American)q (0 / 0)

      were on her Hannukah "wish list" LOL  We try to have few magazine subscriptions because we just don't have time to read - and it seems wasteful. But she HAS been reading - she gets a kick out of riding the subway reading something that people don't expect a teen girl to be reading!

      by Sue in Queens on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 01:46:58 PM PDT

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  • I'm rather fond of The Economist (0 / 0)

    They have a quite dry sense of humor and are not afraid to let it come through in their articles.

    by shenanigans on Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 08:50:56 AM PDT

  • Kind of makes sense... (0 / 0)

    the whole smell thing.  I guess we are part of the animal kingdom after all.  

    I can't find a link, but I remember reading a while ago when Atkins was all the rage that people were complaining about their significant others' smell.  I guess eating all that protein and no carbs made their BO smell different.  Funny... when DH was on Atikins, we had lots of arguments.  Maybe I just hated the way he smelled LOL!

    "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream..."

    by 1plain1peanut on Sat Feb 02, 2008 at 09:18:03 AM PDT

Permalink | 15 comments