The sweaty t-shirt experiment

I heard about this study years ago, but was reminded recently by one of my hypnotherapy professors.

How fascinating. They've scientifically proven people choose mates based on scent and it's so deeply ingrained in our biology that we choose people who will (with us) create offspring with the highest probability of surviving and flourishing.

I don't think it works with deodorant or perfume, though most people know that those things don't truly mask a person's natural odor completely, so something in our olfactory system can probably smell through the cover-up.

Let me know what you think, and if you've experienced some olfactory arousal with your current or previous loves.

	Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice
	Evolutionary psychology is a relatively new field. Scientists like Victor Johnston study the human brain and human behaviors -- why we do the things we do -- in the context of evolution. This clip outlines the "sweaty T-shirt" experiment, which showed that the sense of smell may have more to do with mate choice than previously thought. Females sniffing the T-shirts recently worn by males favored the scent of those whose immune response genes were different from their own. Meredith Small and Geoffrey Miller are also interviewed. From Evolution: "Why Sex?" Credits: © 2001 WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.		View in: QuickTime | RealPlayer	Resource Type: Video Format: QuickTime or RealPlayer Length: 3 min, 11 sec Topics Covered: Adaptation and Natural Selection
Backgrounder
Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice: Maybe it's not similar interests, horoscope signs, looks, or proximity that make women and men fall in love. According to evolutionary scientists, when people throw up their hands and say "it was just chemistry," they may be on to a fundamental factor in mate choice. Subtle chemical signals, or pheromones, have long been known to draw pairs together within the same species, and for a specific reason. In mice, for example, experiments showed that pheromones acted as attractants between males and females who were genetically similar except that they differed in a certain type of immune system gene. That difference is actually a survival benefit: The combination of two individuals' different MHC (major histocompatibility locus) genes gives their offspring an advantage in beating back disease organisms. So the mice could smell a genetic difference. But could modern humans, who aren't known for a particularly good sense of smell, also make that distinction? In the first "sweaty T-shirt" experiment, a Swiss zoologist, Claus Wedekind, set up a test of women's sensitivity to male odors. He assembled volunteers, 49 women and 44 men selected for their variety of MHC gene types. He gave the men clean T-shirts to wear for two nights and then return to the scientists. In the laboratory, the researchers put each T-shirt in a box equipped with a smelling hole and invited the women volunteers to come in, one at a time, and sniff the boxes. Their task was to sample the odor of seven boxes and describe each odor as to intensity, pleasantness, and sexiness. The results were striking. Overall, the women preferred the scents of T-shirts worn by men whose MHC genes were different from their own. The experiment did not test men's perceptions of female scents, but the results certainly suggest that evolution has provided humans, not just mice, with a transmitter and receiver for genetic information that could influence mate choice. And all this even before the first date! Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/6/l_016_08.html   More Interesting Katie Strand World Post A Friendly, Cosmic Centrifuge Discovering my purpose Avatar Characters - from Human to Nav'i All About Steve "David! Paul! Strand!" - The Power of Purpose & Dedication The Fountain of Youth Think about your whoo-whoo (Driftwood, part 2) Driftwood These books are made for laughing Laughter every day keeps the doctor away Worry vs Choice A New Homeostasis, the third installment Memorial Day Dreams A New Homeostasis, part deux A New Homeostasis Boobies & Kittens...especially for overcast days The One-Minute Happiness Quiz Qi Pao! My hips in China. Raw Milk has been pulled from Whole Foods shelves How Betty White deals with the Census Anxious or calm? Sunscreen may increase the risk of skin cancer! What happened to Kathleen Turner? Hairiosity! And All the Cows Said Moo, TWO! A Luke-warm Mess Let Go! Your Children Know More Than You Think Are you hungry for change? So is Food, Inc. Liberating yourself from your own fears The smallest non-child, non-midget person I've ever seen Stupid trumps hot The 15 Things that Pasteurization Kills A hugging, laughing, happy mess The HPV vaccination could be more dangerous than what it "prevents" Is Jake Pavelka a douche bag? It's all about interpretation Have you forgotten how glorious you are? The best reason for DONUTS Dr. Mercola recommends raw milk! We'd all be pillars of salt James Cameron was robbed! What do you want? The Real British Invasion or...Hey there Brit, how's your American accent? Andre Agassi is now Open Farts Love & Hate. Drugs & Rebellion. Occam's Razor - It's a Life & Faith Principle If Richard Pryor had a period... If you're prone to nudeness... Hello, my name is Temple Grandin. Blog tease, yelling to no one & the secret to long... My Addendum to "Choose a Job You Love..." The Primal Diet & Running Chop Wood, Carry Water, Do Taxes The male member revealed Play with the Girls How to tame the psycho hose beast Oh boy, that's a good question! or How to Deal with the Census These boots were made for walking If I were a Ninja, I'd wear these shoes How my friend Sally became the new First Lady My Boyfriend has Autism...Maybe Raw Primal Papaya Custard - The Nectar of the Gods And All the Cows Said Moo! If you were John Mayer, you would too Tiredness - Varieties of and unforeseen side-effects Foreplay is overrated Food should be As God Intended or Why isn't everything we eat organic? Yelling - One of the Highest Forms of Compassion The Cove - Louie Psihoyos' Oscar speech & a guide on how to create change... My Favorite Things...Arrabiata Recipe - Fresh, Organic, Vegan or Primal My Favorite Shows on Television...or how David Duchovney & Jesus are likely Good in Bed The Hawaiian Islands and Washington D.C.’s sand-paper circle-jerk about Health Care My Buddha has Termites...A Lesson in Infinite Joy The One-Date-Wonders! I had to learn SIGN LANGUAGE when I moved to Los Angeles Guys can make a game out of anything Hello? The power of CONNECTING and how technology has changed things Popping the question is better than porn! Bravo, Stephen Colbert & Co! and your Olympic Vancouverage Songwriting is like SEX Born To Run by Christopher McDougall - Inspiring a inspiring all of us to be more in the FLOW A moment of silence for all the plastic surgery casualties Ricky Gervais should be the new Simon on American Idol Muscle SURPRISE! The key to physical, mental & emotional fitness I think my boyfriend's a snake... Release... Sweat & Power MY FAVORITE THINGS! - Vibram's Five Fingers Dick Morris... How do you sleep at night? Rusty DePass, Gorillas, and Obama, oh my! Michael Jackson - Troubled Genius New Music & Posts  at Katie Strand Music To Make You Feel My Love Please Don't Leave Me Going To California Come Back Home