Secrets of attraction may lie in immune system DNA

BY Rosemary Black
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, February 17th 2010, 5:04 PM

Here’s some new information about the science of attraction: Your body odor may provide your mate with subconscious clues about the strength of your immune system.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia, reporting in the journal “Animal Behavior,” say that whether or not the object of your desire finds you irresistible may depend on how sweet your sweat smells, according to a report in the Daily Mail. A woman’s sweat holds genetic information that signals to a potential hubby whether their offspring would possess the best chance of fighting off illness.

The more varied a woman’s histocompatibility, or MHC, genes are, the more attractive she appears to the opposite sex.

The researchers studied the DNA of nearly 150 college students, who filled out questionnaires about their love lives. They looked at the students’ DNA to find variation in genes that are known to have an influence on the immune system, and found that the more diverse these genes were, the more disease-resistant a person was.

The researchers then matched the results of the genetic tests with the survey answers and learned that the women with the most varied histocompatibility (MHC) genes also had the greatest number of sexual partners.

Previous research has shown that the more different a person’s perspiration is to yours, the more pleasant you’re likely to find him or her. It’s theorized that this phenomenon came about so people wouldn’t accidentally marry their relatives or anyone else who’s genetically similar.

Another theory is that women with varied MHC genes could be more outgoing.

“It is possible that MHC-diverse women have more sexual partners because they actively seek more partners, rather than because males prefer diverse partners,” wrote the researchers.

Relationship expert Laurent Mackler says parents may affect how successful a woman is at finding a boyfriend – but not necessarily because of genetics.

“We are invariably attracted to people based on how familiar that person is to us from childhood,” says Mackler, author of “SoleMate: Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life.”

“As human beings, we are always seeking homeostasis, or balance, and looking for the parts of us that got lost as we grew up and had to adapt to the family system. So we’re attracted unconsciously to the people who embody these traits. We are looking for our other half and may not always find him.”

DNAWellnessinfo.com Resource:  http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/02/17/2010-02-17_secrets_of_attraction_may_lie_in_immune_system_dna_thats_sensed_through_sweat_sc.html