It seems that smell could help us determine the suitability of a potential mate. In combination with sight and hearing, it provides an impressive amount of information. This is stated by a group of British and Polish researchers, led by Agata Groyecka, who, after reviewing numerous works carried out in the last thirty years, has come to the conclusion that the so-called chemistry of love has a multisensory basis.
The olfactory signals give clues about the sex, the personality – including the predisposition to dominate -, the degree of fertility, the diet, the genetic compatibility, the state of health and the age of the person . Now, the relative importance of the senses changes throughout the formation of the romantic bond.
Visual and vocal characteristics are likely to be more important at the beginning of a possible relationship, while odor, which requires greater proximity for perception, could be part of a second screening phase. In any case, women are more guided by scents than men.
Sweaty garments
In 1995, Swiss biologist Claus Wedekind carried out the famous sweat shirt study. For two days, 44 men wore the same garments, under certain conditions to prevent interference from artificial fragrances. The 49 women who then selected those who were most pleasant to smell chose those of men who were immunologically different from themselves. Specifically, by those with a group of genes – the so-called major histocompatibility complex (MHC) – less similar to yours.
These genes direct the synthesis of proteins that help the immune system to recognize pathogens and are therefore useful in discriminating against biologically inappropriate mates and ensuring the health of the offspring.
