Birth-control pills could screw up a woman’s ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds.
While several factors can send a woman swooning, including big brains and brawn, body odor can be critical in the final decision, the researchers say. That’s because beneath a woman’s flowery fragrance or a guy’s musk the body sends out aromatic molecules that indicate genetic compatibility.
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are involved in immune response and other functions, and the best mates are those that have different MHC smells than you. The new study reveals, however, that when women are on the pill they prefer guys with matching MHC odors.
MHC genes churn out substances that tell the body whether a cell is a native or an invader. When individuals with different MHC genes mate, their offspring’s immune systems can recognize a broader range of foreign cells, making them more fit.
Past studies have suggested couples with dissimilar MHC genes are more satisfied and more likely to be faithful to a mate. And the opposite is also true with matchng-MHC couples showing less satisfaction and more wandering eyes.
That might explain the brief pairing of Stephanie Seymour with Axl Rose. That, or maybe a malign alien force took over her brain.
I wouldn’t say similar-MHC is bad in all cases. Entire populations of Native Americans survive with quite similar MHCs. Being of a too-dissimilar genetic background can also impact fertility, after all. And if your child needs an organ transplant, giving them a non-exotic MHC combination could well save their life…
Disagree emphatically in my own clearly biased and self-selected sample. Both my daughters-in-law picked wonderful men. My wife of nearly 36 years did OK, as well, if I may be so bold to proclaim.
Umm…Jeffersonian?…Paulina Porizkova and Ric Ocasek? I think that electric guitars might have the same effect as oral contraceptives.
Probably is what makes them pick bad presidents, as well.
Don
[blockquote]Paulina Porizkova and Ric Ocasek[/blockquote]
I thought of them, too, but from all appearances Ocasek is an actual human being.
Fair enough
Never was on it. Never will take it. (I can’t be convinced that it doesn’t sometimes prevent a fertilized egg from implantation.) And I could never recommend the Pill to a younger woman.
(My natural nose always appreciated the way my husband smells, especially outdoors! 😉
Perhaps this research points up the importance of abstenance before marriage. No sexual intercourse translates to no need for the pill which translates to no dulling of the senses!
Well, then might it make them choose….other women??
[blockquote]The Pill Makes Women Pick Bad Mates[/blockquote]
It makes men pick bad mates too.