The sweet smell of loveAnyone who’s tried online dating long enough has probably had this experience: you meet someone funny and engaging, your profiles are compatible, the chat is lively and sparkling… and yet when you meet in person there is no chemistry at all. It is almost enough to crush your faith on online dating. That discouraging scenario may soon be a thing of the past, if Basisnote has its way changing how we date online. Basisnote is a Swiss-based company created by three scientists: biologist Dr. August Hämmerli, physicist Manuel Kaegi and social scientist Dominic Senn. They decided to probe into the biology behind the “chemistry” between people based on their body scent. Science Daily interviewed Hämmerli, who explained: “If everything fits – you have the same interests, lots to talk about – but you can’t stand their smell, then a love affair doesn’t stand a chance.” He added: “Obviously, smell is by no means the only factor in choosing a partner. However, our test makes it a measurable component.” Basisnote has developed a test which codifies a person’s body odor; the code can then be entered online and compared with potential matches to find out if there will be sparks or if the chances of chemistry are low. And how is your body odor codified? Don’t worry, you will not have to sniff yourself and answer truthfully if you smell a hint of truffles, oak or blackberries. Basisnote has developed a saliva test, which is taken at home and takes about 20 minutes to give you a code identifying the main characteristics of your personal body scent. The Basisnote test is set to appear on the market later this year in cooperation with a still unannounced online dating provider. While this may seem like yet another gimmick to entice online daters, there is actually a lot of hard scientific evidence behind Basisnote’s claim. They based their research on the evolutionary need to mate with a partner who has genes as different from yours as possible, to ensure healthier offspring. Biologist Claus Wedekind tested this in the nineties by making women smell t-shirts worn by different men and choose the one that smelled best for them; the women consistently preferred the smell of men whose immune system (and hence genetic content) was most different from their own. Whether you believe the science or dismiss this as more online dating hoo-hah, the fact is that later this year one of the main sites will be unveiling a brand-new “scent matching” system for their members. We will inform you of more as soon as we get a whiff of more news. As for the Basisnote crew, they do not intend to stop at online dating. “There are so many interesting areas”, said Hämmerli. “Once all of this is up and running, we want to have a look at the perfume sector.” |
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