Article / smelling out your perfect mate

[wkyla (박은숙)]

Smelling out your perfect mate

• Paul Carey, Western Mail
• Dec 20 2004

WE may all think that we choose our perfect partners based on their appearance, personality or even the size of their wallet, but research by a Welsh expert reveals the key to finding your soul-mate is the way they smell.

Professor Tim Jacob, head of the smell research laboratory at Cardiff University, claims that in finding our perfect partner, we are reacting to the subtle odour we are all born with.

He claims this phenomenon is nature's way of ensuring that children are born with the strongest immune systems possible to fight off disease.

And when it comes to finding your husband or wife, the research reveals that opposites do attract.

"This is a subtle smell - it's not the sweaty body odour someone has after doing hard manual labour for a few days without washing," he said.

"This is an inherent smell that we all carry - you can't change it by washing or perfume."

In a review, commissioned by the decongestant manufacturer Sudafed, Prof Jacob has found that every person is born with a certain odour-type, which is dependent on their immuno-type, or immunogenetic status - the body's own defence mechanism against disease and illness.

Odour-types are not the same as pheromones, which some believe play an important role in social and chemical interaction.

Sniffer dogs use odour-types to distinguish individuals, but research has also revealed that humans not only use smell to distinguish between individuals but we actively select our mates based on odour-type.

Unlike any of the other senses, smell has direct access to the more primitive parts of the brain, which are linked to mood, emotion and memory - brain-imaging techniques have shown that smell can activate parts of the brain without being consciously perceived.

The main source of human odour is the apocrine - sweat - glands, which are found around the nipples, sternum, genitals, underarms, hair follicles, cheeks, eyelids, ears and scalp.

When people kiss they are also "tasting" a person's odour-type, which in turn will help determine whether that person could be their perfect mate.

Prof Jacob said there are thousands of different immuno and odour-types, but rather than seek out people with a similar smell, humans prefer to bond with people with a different odour-type, to ensure any children born as a result of their union will inherit two different immuno-types, bolstering their natural defence systems against disease.

Research has shown that women prefer male odours that are different from their own genetic makeup - the smell from men with the same genetic make-up was found to be unpleasant.

Marriages between people with similar genetic make-up are not as frequent as expected and a high degree of genetic similarity between parents could even increase the chances of miscarriage.

"Diversity is key - nature is trying to bring together two people who will provide immuno diversity to their offspring, therefore the child will have the benefit of both parents and increased disease resistance," he said.

It is thought that women are most sensitive to smell at ovulation - an ideal time to smell out their perfect partner.

Prof Jacob added, "Smell is the most underrated of the major senses. It's one of the most important senses we have, but most people do not understand the true significance of smell.

"Smell can trigger memories, evoke disgust, pleasure or change our mood, it can act as a warning or can be a sign of illness.

"We are now beginning to understand the mechanisms by which smell can influence our first impressions of potential partners.

"So the sensory shutdown associated with a cold or flu infection can have more far-reaching consequences than had ever previously been considered."

Choice of perfume is a down-to-earth form of advertising

THE different types of perfumes we use say more about us than previously thought.

Rather than using them to smell sweet, it is now believed that we choose perfumes on the basis of how close they are to our own immuno-type, or immunogenetic status.

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If a group of people are offered a selection of different perfume ingredients, such as woody or floral tones, those with the same immuno-types will prefer the same type of perfume ingredients, according to Professor Tim Jacob, head of the smell research laboratory, in the School of Biosciences, at Cardiff University.

"What we are doing in choosing a certain perfume ingredient is advertising our immuno-types to others, our potential partners," he added.

[wkyla (박은숙)]

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