MHC-dependent mate preferences in humans.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Graded by design analogy; non-clinical controlled laboratory experiment evaluating human olfactory preferences.
PubMed 7630893 · doi:10.1098/rspb.1995.0087
What was done
Male and female students were typed for HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR alleles. Male students wore a T-shirt for two consecutive nights. Female students subsequently smelled and rated the odors of six T-shirts for pleasantness, evaluated according to MHC concordance and oral contraceptive use.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or statistical metrics. It reports directionally that women scored male body odors as more pleasant when the men differed from them in MHC than when they were similar, that this preference was reversed in women taking oral contraceptives, and that odors from MHC-dissimilar men more often reminded women of their actual or former mates.
Why it matters
This study provides experimental evidence that human body odor preferences are linked to MHC genotype diversity and may be modulated by female hormonal status.
Limits
Sample size (n) is not reported in the abstract. No quantitative values, variance metrics, or p-values are provided. The study measures subjective odor ratings under laboratory conditions rather than real-world pairing outcomes, and controls for diet, hygiene, and menstrual cycle phase are not specified in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Human mate selection and attraction are influenced by olfactory perception of highly polymorphic Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC/HLA) peptide fragments secreted in body fluids and sweat.