Wedekind (1995)

• Aim:


   To determine whether Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) affects mate choice in humans.
• Participants:

  • 49 female and 44 male students from the University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Varied MHC types
• Procedure:

  1. Men wore T-shirts for two nights under controlled conditions (no perfumes, specific diet, etc.)
  2. Women rated the smell of 7 T-shirts (3 similar MHC, 3 dissimilar MHC, 1 control)
  3. Women rated odors for intensity, pleasantness, and sexiness
  4. Women were tested in the second week after menstruation
  5. Double-blind design used
• Results:

  • Women scored male body odors as more pleasant when they differed from their own MHC
  • This preference was reversed in women taking oral contraceptives
• Conclusion: 

  MHC may influence human mate choice, supporting an evolutionary explanation for partner selection. Suggests biological basis for mate selection. May explain some fertility issues (e.g., repeated miscarriages in couples with similar MHC)
• Strengths:

  1. Supports evolutionary theory of mate selection
  2. Successfully replicated (e.g., Jacob et al., 2002)
  3. Aligns with animal studies (e.g., Yamazaki et al., 1976 on mice)
  4. Double-blind design minimizes bias
  5. Ethically conducted (consent obtained, participants debriefed)
• Limitations:

  1. Potentially reductionist, ignoring cognitive and sociocultural factors
  2. Limited sample (similar age and culture)
  3. Artificial setting may affect ecological validity