My smelly valentine: the science behind attraction in humans
By Desiree Chevalier
Lance Writer
February 11, 2009
 I hate to be the harbinger of bad news to any who oppose Valentine’s Day on bitter or sensible grounds, but it is that time of year again—unless you count Sweetest Day (whatever that is) (cough—card company grab at your wallet—cough).
Single folks may find themselves looking for a potential valentine, while the relationship-bound frantically search for a last-minute gift to keep their current mate happy. Whatever your motivation, you may find yourself at a loss for words as to why you find that certain someone so special.
Once we get beyond clichés of “soulful eyes” (Really? At least Sir Mix-a-Lot was honest about his favourite feature) you might end up wondering—is there a reason why humans are attracted to certain characteristics in a potential mate?
The answer, many researchers believe, is rooted in our basic biological motivations. Certain indicators, such as an individual’s natural scent, body symmetry, body shape and facial features may be considered attractive because they signal health and/or fertility to inquiring partners. This suggests that beneath our programming from the media, evolutionary cues may compel us to choose partners we feel may pass on more beneficial genes to offspring or possess better parenting skills in an attempt to increase our own fitness.
The nose knows
Could it be that your nose is trying to tell you something about your potential mate? No, that guy Bob was not “genetically unfit”—he probably just needed a shower. We’re talking about something deeper here, people!
Ongoing studies suggest that humans may be able to secrete pheromones, which are odourless airborne molecules that can illicit a physical and/or emotional response in other humans.
Studies also show that humans have the ability to detect these pheromones—the part of your nose that can receive the pheromones seems to have a direct connection to the part of your brain that controls emotion in humans.
Many mammals, birds and fish both secrete and respond to pheromones, so we’re really just the latest addition to the bandwagon. Scientists have found in several studies that exposure to pheromones can lead to improved mood and even sexual arousal.
One of the most interesting studies has been dubbed the “sweaty t-shirt study” where 49 women were asked to rate the intensity, pleasantness and sexiness of the scent of t-shirts worn for an extended period of time by a variety of male test subjects.
The lead researcher, Dr. Claus Wedekind, suggested that women might actually be able to differentiate between men with similar and dissimilar immune systems compared to their own based on their response to pheromones elicited from a particular t-shirt sample.
Researchers hypothesized that since body odor is controlled by genetics, women would choose scents that were as different as possible from their own in order to minimize the possibility that the potential mate is a close relative (thereby decreasing the likelihood that offspring would suffer any of the genetic defects common in offspring of closely related individuals).
An alternative explanation provided was that a partner with a different immune system could be desirable because they possess immunity against a disease that the female may not possess (once again, increasing the health of potential offspring). By having healthier offspring, both partners increase their own fitness because their genes remain viable in a population.
Hippie Chic
You may have heard some of the buzz about certain physical attributes being linked to perceptions of health and/or fertility. In studies of heterosexual males, many researchers found that women with a waist-to-hip ratio of about 70 per cent were equated with peak fertility and fitness by men.
This curvy figure was considered to advertise a woman’s age as well, since young girls tend to lack the curves of more mature young women of child-bearing age, whereas older women who are past menopause tend to gather more fat around their waists. However, some studies found that the 70 per cent figure could fluctuate broadly across different cultures. Studies on heterosexual women found that men with broader shoulders and more rugged features were usually considered more physically attractive—these features tend to signal higher testosterone levels, which have been tied in some studies to stronger immune systems.
Among both men and women, body and facial symmetry was considered more attractive than unsymmetrical faces and bodies. In one study that was published in the highly reputable journal Nature, young male dancers were filmed and then rated by women according to their dance ability and body symmetry. The study found that women were most attracted to highly symmetrical men, who also turned out to be the best-rated dancers.
Since body symmetry is determined by genetics and indicated developmental stability, better dancers were considered to possess more desirable genes. However, most researchers agree that humans are, if anything, some of the worst test-subjects. With so many complex cultural factors affecting what we find attractive and many studies contradicting one another, it’s difficult at this point to say what really attracts us to one another.
My advice: take a cue from nature and don’t be afraid to get out there and show off your dance moves! Just don’t use “incompatible immune systems” as an excuse for a break up—more studies need to be conducted before you can use that line with confidence.
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