Better loving through chemistry?
Could be.
ScientificMatch.com, a Boston-based Internet dating site, uses DNA to match potential romantic partners.
The site's science is based on Swiss evolutionary biologist Claus Wedekind's 1995 "sweaty T-shirt" research. Dr. Wedekind had women smell the sweaty T-shirts of men and rate which scent was most appealing.
The experiment found that women preferred the scent from sweaty T-shirts of men whose immune system DNA -- specifically part of the major histocompatability complex (MHC) -- was most different from their own.
A 1997 study, which had both men and women as T-shirt wearers and sniffers, again found that people were attracted to the scent of people with opposite immune system DNA.
"It's so revolutionary," says Eric Holzle, the site's founder and president. "I really think it's going to be the future of dating."
Those who pony up the $1,995.95 (or during February only the sale price of $995.95) for a lifetime membership receive a DNA collection kit -- which includes cotton swabs to rub inside the cheeks, then return to the ScientificMatch.com lab -- a core values/personality test and a personal preferences survey.
"It takes our lab about two weeks to analyze the DNA," says Mr. Holzle, a mechanical engineer turned entrepreneur.
Members can specify the degree to which they want potential dates to match their values/personality, from zero to 100 percent.
Once processed, mini biographies of potential matches are posted to a member's private ScientificMatch.com home page. For added security, members can contact their matches via the Web site's e-mail system.
Since the service started in mid-December, some matches have been posted for members, but Mr. Holzle hasn't yet heard about any dates that may have resulted.
Lisa Lambert, an associate professor of biology at Chatham University, says humans tend to take their sense of smell for granted and dismiss it as their least important sense.
"However, we know that odors are strongly tied to memory and to mood," she says.
Research has shown that pheromones -- chemicals secreted by animals that influence the behavior or development of other members of the same species -- released into the air can affect the physiology of others.
"So, the idea that we can react in some way to another person's chemistry is reasonable," Dr. Lambert says. "However, we don't yet understand how these things work. To take it to the next step and apply [it] proactively to relationships is a little iffy."
The sample sizes in some of the MHC research have been small, and some research has been contradictory, she says.
"So, it's probably a little too early to predict that two people will be compatible because their MHC profiles are different," she says.
There is, however, scientific evidence that people with different MHC profiles could be more reproductively compatible. Some research has shown that people with more similar MHC profiles may take longer to become pregnant and may suffer higher rates of miscarriage, she says.
Because ScientificMatch.com uses values/personality profiles and personal preferences in addition to DNA to match people, "the very people who would be interested in using this approach probably improve the compatibility of [ScientificMatch.com's] population," Dr. Lambert says.
Mr. Holzle says he won't reveal how many people have joined ScientificMatch.com because he doesn't want his site compared with Internet dating sites such as Match.com, Chemistry.com, Perfectmatch.com and eHarmony.com, which boasts more than 15 million registered users.
He likens his service more to brick-and-mortar personal matchmakers, and ScientificMatch.com definitely is priced like a matchmaking service, which can run from about $700 to upward of $2,000 a year.
Diane Schneider, director of the dating service It's Just Lunch, Pittsburgh (itsjustlunchpittsburgh.com), thinks ScientificMatch.com is an interesting idea, but she's not sure what kind of personalities the service attracts.
"Chemistry comes into play, but I think there are a lot of other pieces," Ms. Schneider says. "To be matched with someone that our bodies react well to, how much of a challenge is that? He's wonderful, but he lives at home with his mom."
What looks good on paper doesn't always work out, she says.
"Do you want to match up, based on a chemical reaction, with the wrong person, or do you want to take the time to see if the two of you are going to grow on each other?" she says.
It's Just Lunch meets with clients to learn their likes and dislikes, then tries to find matches that fit those parameters -- setting up lunch, brunch or after-work drink meetings for clients.
"They're always going to have something in common with the people, and then we allow them to get the chemistry out of the way by sitting down face to face quickly," Ms. Schneider says. "We get to the first date very quickly."
It's Just Lunch costs $1,500 for a year. About 95 percent of its clientele have college degrees, and 50 percent have advanced degrees. Clients range in age from the mid-30s to early 60s.
"If [ScientificMatch.com] works, great," says Janie Horan, owner of The Right Relationship at www.therightmatchmaker.com. "You never know ... We do have a scent, and opposites definitely attract."
Ms. Horan personally meets everyone who comes to her matchmaking service, which costs $675 for one year.
"If I did not meet everybody, I would not match [them] successfully," says Ms. Horan, whose Cranberry-based service is 16 years old. "I have to get a feel for them."
She asks people about their hobbies and interests as well as their personal preferences in terms of appearance, education level, children, etc.
"That weeds out a lot of people," she says.
She believes her service works because when people come to her, they're really ready to meet someone of substance.
"They set up an appointment and had to pay for a service," says Ms. Horan, who considers herself a relationship headhunter. "It's not because they can't get dates; it's because they can't find the right relationship."
ScientificMatch.com currently is available only in the Boston-Providence, R.I., area. However, Mr. Holzle plans to expand to other areas of the country this year.
And he says he's not promising people the world through his service.
"[The DNA] is only one piece of the puzzle," he says. "We're not saying you're going to be soulmates because we match you this way, and we're not guaranteeing that you will have healthier children or be more fertile."
However, based on the scientific research outlined on his Web site, all things being equal, he believes ScientificMatch.com is "increasing the odds" that people matched and entering into relationships will be more fertile, have healthier children and more satisfying sex lives, he says.
The only caveats he offers is that ScientificMatch.com's DNA matching won't work for women using hormonal contraception -- which research shows makes women most attracted to the scent of those with similar immune system DNA -- or people not raised by their birth parents.
So, while there's no conclusive evidence that using DNA to help find potential partners is especially effective, it most likely can't hurt. The nature of love and attraction is so mysterious that surely it's no worse than going on a blind date with a cousin's husband's best friend.
Mr. Holzle believes DNA matching is as good a method as any for connecting people.
"What's amazing to me is that's the only piece of the puzzle people haven't used yet."
First Published: February 13, 2008, 10:00 a.m.
