Scent with love

IN the adverts, the aroma of perfume causes men to fall at women’s feet, and vice versa. It’s far-fetched, but a new book claims we are drawn to people by their smell.

The Science of Love and Betrayal, by Professor Robin Dunbar, says research has shown that smell is determined by the same set of genes, the major histocompatibility complex genes (MHC), as the immune system.

The MHC is our personal chemical signature and if potential partners are close on introduction, it determines whether or not they find each other attractive.