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Sniffing Out A Partner
Over a decade ago, Claus Wedekind, a researcher at the University of Bern in Switzerland, conducted an interesting experiment.
He recruited female volunteers to sniff the three-day-old T-shirts of men and note their allure. The result ? The women preferred T-shirts from men whose 'major histocompatability complex' (MHC) was most different to their own. (They favoured the smell of the gender that was positively opposite).
The conclusion of the study was that body or "sex odour" should not be underestimated with regard to the attraction of females to males.
Now, ScientificMatch.com, a Boston-based internet dating site launched in December 2007, by Erik Holzle, is using this analysis with the prospect of earning money.
ScientificMatch.com does not rely entirely on MHC. Their method is to send (registered post or FedEx) a swab taken from inside the mouth of a customer.
There is a questionnaire (as with all dating agencies) concerning income, social class and hobbies. There is also a bill for $ 1,995 (USD) for the service.
If the swab is a good match, it is possibly as efficienct as the method of sniffing a dirty T-shirt.
In today's world, beauty may not be in the eye of the beholder. It may be in the nostril.
