What are the benefits of smell?
Alexandra Wilkinson
2025-07-23 09:37:19
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Smell may be the most important, albeit the most subtle, factor in physical attraction, because the nose can suss out complex mechanisms like sexual compatibility, although the conscious mind is unaware of it. MHC also determines histocompatibility, influencing human mating choices. In MHC experiments, women are generally more discriminate and fussy about smells and odors, possibly because they are more invested in the results of reproduction, bearing children, and caring for them. They preferred the shirts worn by men more immunologically dissimilar to themselves. This makes biological sense, as pairing dissimilar immune systems can mean healthier offspring. Some studies indicate that dissimilar MHC genes, which recognize foreign substances, resulted in lower rates of early miscarriages for couples.