It smells like love.

[This is an article I wrote for February 2009 edition of Theta News, the official newsletter for the Lambda Chapter of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. at Florida State University. Visit the website at http://www.fsuthetawomen.com/. Donate money! We are tax deductable. ]


Why do we love the men that we love? Like an addiction, who we fall in love with feels like its beyond our control. In a sense, this is somewhat true. William Jankowiak of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Edward Fischer of Tulane University studied 166 cultures regarding love. How do we become initially attracted to someone? Have you ever seen ads for perfumes and body oils promoting pheromones-"the scent of attraction! make him yours in one sniff". The former is fact, the latter fiction. Women are more sensitive to pheromones than men, so he should wear cologne to enhance his pheromones, but if you do, it may not necessarily make much of a difference. The odors are emitted by one's major histocompatibility complex [MHC]. Remember MHC-more on this and how birth control affects your mate preference later. The MHC is a reflection of one's immune system and evolutionary speaking, we are attracted to immune systems opposite of ours.

MHC also shows clear differences for certain male body odors. "Different name, same man". During higher estrogen levels, a woman's preference for a dissimilar MHC is at its highest. So how does birth control affect your mate preference? The study found that women on birth control tend to pick men with similar MHC's as their own. If you fall in love with a man while on birth control, then get off it, chances are you'll be looking at him and wonder what attracted him to you in the first place.

Valentine's Day is approaching. For those in a relationship, its a reminder to evaluate your relationship and determine if this man is "evolutionary speaking" good for you. If you're on birth control, you may want to have a test run at it without all the hormones pumping through your body. If you're single and on BC, be weary of the men you pick during this period. You won't be on BC the rest of your life, and you dont necessarily want to make any life altering decisions with a man during this period.