MHC-dependent mate preferences in humans

[Humberto]

http://www.jstor.org/stable/50182

Each male student wore a T-shirt for two consecutive nights. The next day, each female student was asked to rate the odours of six T-shirts. They scored male body odours as more pleasant when they differed from the men in their MHC than when they were more similar. This difference in odour assessment was reversed when the women rating the odours were taking oral contraceptives. Furthermore, the odours of MHC-dissimilar men remind the test women more often of their own actual or former mates than do the odours of MHC-similar men. This suggests that the MHC or linked genes influence human mate choice today

 

[a'zombi]

Is your MHC similar to Lisa?

 

[porchrat]

Pretty interesting.

It also suggests a link between MHC and body odour.

Still I can't help but notice six shirts. Seems like a relatively small sample to run. Sure they used a bunch of women (49) but still surely this sort of investigation should be conducted with more than just 6 shirts. MHC is pretty complex.

Interesting little bit about the pill being a potential confounding factor.

 

[Humberto]

Pretty interesting.

It also suggests a link between MHC and body odour.

Still I can't help but notice six shirts. Seems like a relatively small sample to run. Sure they used a bunch of women (49) but still surely this sort of investigation should be conducted with more than just 6 shirts. MHC is pretty complex.

Interesting little bit about the pill being a potential confounding factor.

There were 44 men who participated but I suppose it was asking a bit much to expect each woman to sniff 44 shirts.

 

[porchrat]

There were 44 men who participated but I suppose it was asking a bit much to expect each woman to sniff 44 shirts.

Yea I know the early sections of the methodology mention that there were 44 shirts but sniffing 6 shirts is a waste. How are you supposed to demonstrate a reliable pattern using only 6 shirts per subject?