Wedekind (1999)

Wedekind’s study aims to investigate the potential role of a pheromone on human behaviour. In this
research study there is emphasis on dissimilar MHC being preferential when selecting a sexual
partner.

Pheromones are externally released signalling molecules.

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is a series of molecules in the body’s cells which help the
immune system identify pathogens and activate immune responses. MHC genes are co-dominant,
that implies that both set of genes received from the parents will be expressed in the offspring.
Humans have evolved systems which help in recognising individuals who have dissimilar MHC and
preferentially selecting sexual partners.

Wedekind recruited 49 women and 44 men with a wide range of MHC genes. The study was of
experimental method and was double blind, which means that neither the subjects nor the
researcher knew which T-shirt they were being exposed to at any point during the study. The male
participants were given clean T-shirts and asked to wear it for two nights. They were told to remain
as odour-neutral as they could. This meant that they could not eat spicy food, use scented soaps and
have sex. When the men returned the shirts, Wedekind put them in a cardboard box with a sniffing
hole on top. When the female participants were at the midpoint of their menstrual cycles, they were
presented with seven set boxes. Three of the boxes contained T-shirts from men with similar MHC to
the women’s own while three contained unworn T-shirts as a control. The women were asked to
rate the scent of the t-shirts as pleasant or unpleasant.

Overall the women preferred the scent of the T-shirts which belonged to men who had a dissimilar
MHC.

From the study we can conclude that a potential pheromone (MHC) has an effect on human
behaviour by influencing sexual partner choice in humans.