A Match Made in Science
by Amena H. Frias
Science and technology are important aspects of our daily lives. From iPods and cell phones to stem cell therapy and radical new medicines, few could live without scientific advancements, both figuratively or literally. So isn’t it time we place one of the most important decisions we make, who we will spend the rest of our life with, into the hands of science? One company is offering just that.
“It’s so revolutionary, I really think it’s going to be the future of dating,” says Eric Holzle, founder of ScientificMatch.com. “Our service, unlike other online dating services, is supported by peer-reviewed articles published in renowned scientific journals.”
ScientificMatch.com initially sounds like just another online dating service; however, it differs from competitors because it adds a scientific twist to the matchmaking process. In addition to pairing people based on personality, common interests, and what each person deems important in their mate, Scientificmatch.com opts to also use their DNA to find the perfect match. This not only increases chances for psychological compatibility, which is the traditional approach utilized by most dating services, but also adds a level of “genetic compatibility” to matchmaking.
The concept behind ScientificMatch.com came to Holzle as he watched a scientific documentary about the “Sweaty T-shirt Experiment,” performed by Claus Wedekind et al. at Universität Bern, Switzerland in 1995. In this study, women sniffed T-shirts previously worn by men who had not used colognes or deodorants and then rated the men’s odors in terms of “sexiness.” Results showed women were attracted to men with the most different major histocompatibility (MHC) genes, a group of genes known for promoting immune responses to foreign pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or fungi. MHC genes particularly function to “present” parts of invading pathogens to immune cells, thereby alerting the immune system of an impending infection.
Related investigations by others have revealed additional findings pertaining to the role of MHC in mate selection. In a University of New Mexico study in 2006, Garver-Apgar et al. found MHC-dissimilar couples report happier and healthier long-term relationships, characterized by a satisfying sex life, higher rates of female orgasm and less female adultery. In other studies, MHC-dissimilarity between parents correlates with fewer miscarriages and increased likelihood of having “healthier children.” In theory, these immunogenetically diverse offspring will have more types of MHC genes, allowing their immune systems to respond to a greater variety of pathogens.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” Holzle says, when he considered the scientific evidence presented by Wedekind and other researchers regarding MHC and human attraction. Hence, ScientificMatch.com was born: a website dating service promising to help you find a genetically and psychologically compatible soul mate. All you need to do is complete a psychological profile indicating core values and personal preferences for potential mates as well as saliva swab samples for DNA analysis. Oh , and you need to include a payment of about $2000 for a one year membership.
For obvious reasons, ScientificMatch.com is not open to those with a criminal background. Nor is it offered to women on the birth control pill. This is because the T-shirt study and more recent investigations by Roberts et al. (2008) show women using birth control pills, which alter hormones to mimic pregnancy, prefer to be around MHC-similar people. Scientists reason that evolutionarily this makes sense. During pregnancy, women probably have less desire to seek out mates with different MHC genes because they would not be looking to procreate. Instead, they would most likely prefer MHC-similar individuals, suchas close relatives or kin, because these people would be more likely to assist in childcare.
To date, the website does not tout any success stories and won’t reveal current membership numbers. Holzle does not want his service compared with other online dating services such as eHarmony.com or Chemistry.com in terms of these factors. Besides, he points out his service only began a little more than a year ago, in December of 2007, so it’s too early to tell if it really works.
“One of the toughest challenges is communicating the premise for ScienceMatch.com to the general public,” Holzle explains. While the media has been rather receptive to the website, he finds his “harshest critics to be those in the science community.” The lack of support from scientists is most surprising to Holzle, especially because his company was created based on findings published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
When recently approached by The Times for comments regarding the concept of ScientificMatch.com, Harvard geneticist David Altshuler remarks, “This is all such hooey.” Altshuler deems the sweaty T-shirt experiment to be credible but rejects the idea that “relationships begin with genetics.” He adds, “The idea that DNA is incredibly powerful or important is a fallacy.”
Other professors have mildly supportive or neutral reactions. “I think it’s a good idea,” Rachel Herz, a Brown psychology professor, tells The Providence Journal shortly after ScientificMatch.com was created. Herz, who studies effects of smells on human emotions and behaviors, considered starting a similar dating service based on the findings from the sweaty T-shirt study as well as her own research. Her dating service would have asked participants to “sniff” worn T-shirts received in the mail and then select potential mates. However after describing the service to her colleagues and friends and receiving only lukewarm feedback, she dropped the idea.
Emory University Assistant Professor of Immunology, Brian Evavold, chooses to remain neutral on the topic. “I mention the company in my class lectures to graduate students as an example of the possible use of sensing (smelling) MHC. I don’t know anything about its success rate or application.”
Holzle acknowledges, “[DNA] is only one piece of the puzzle,” however he believes it is still a critical piece. “We are not guaranteeing you will fall in love and find your soul-mate, but we are increasing odds you will meet someone you find naturally attractive and with whom you can have healthy children.”
So could this be the new, sure-fire way to look for a mate, especially for those folks who seem to have no luck in the love department? Are genetic matchmaking services going to be more common in the future, or will they simply fade into oblivion once the next dating service fad comes along? Considering the study of love is a relatively young field and genetic compatibility sites such as ScientificMatch.com are only in stages of infancy, perhaps only time and experience will tell.