Introduction

Many people seem to be looking for similar attributes when searching for a potential romantic partner. Olfactory social cues can be important parts of the process, though there are individual differences as to their value. Gay men, for example, value scent less in selecting a romantic partner than do heterosexual men (White and Cunningham, Chemosens Percept 10:31–41, 2017). Is it possible that the relative importance of olfaction in mate selection is simply a natural consequence of being generally aware of odorants?

Method

The present study examined the relationship between odor awareness and odor importance in mating in two studies. Participants in each of the studies completed both the Romantic Interests Survey (Herz and Inzlich, Evol Hum Behav 23:359–364, 2002) and the Odor Awareness Survey (Smeets et al., Chem Senses 33:725–734, 2008). In the first study, 455 college-aged heterosexual individuals were surveyed, while in the second study, 453 individuals varying in sexual preference (142 heterosexual women, 161 heterosexual men, and 150 gay men) completed the questionnaires.

Results

Principle components analyses from both studies revealed two different components underlying scores on the RIS; one component best accounted for OAS scores. Regression analysis for both studies indicated that OAS scores predicted the first RIS principle component, but not the second one.

Conclusions

The value of odorants in selecting a romantic partner seems to reflect two different underlying attitudes. The first attitude values all aspects of the smell of a lover, while the second only finds it important that the lover does not smell badly. Odor awareness is related only to the first of these attitudes.

Implications

These findings suggest that odor awareness accounts for some of the attitudes concerning the value of odors in mate selection, but not all of them. Other factors, such as the need to avoid aversive stimuli, may also contribute to the relative importance of olfaction in selecting a partner.

中文翻译：

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浪漫意识中的嗅觉意识和自我报告的重要性

介绍

寻找潜在的浪漫伴侣时，许多人似乎正在寻找类似的属性。嗅觉社交线索可能是该过程的重要组成部分，尽管它们的价值存在个体差异。例如，男同性恋者在选择一个浪漫伴侣时，比异性恋男人更不重视气味（White and Cunningham，Chemosens Percept 10：31–41，2017）。嗅觉在伴侣选择中的相对重要性是否可能仅仅是通常了解加味剂的自然结果？

方法

本研究在两项研究中研究了气味意识与交配中气味重要性之间的关系。每项研究的参与者都完成了浪漫兴趣调查（Herz和Inzlich，Evol Hum Behav 23：359-364，2002）和气味意识调查（Smeets等，Chem Senses 33：725-734，2008）。在第一项研究中，对455名大学年龄的异性恋者进行了调查，而在第二项研究中，有453名性取向各异的人（142名异性恋女性，161名异性恋男性和150名男同性恋者）完成了问卷。

结果

两项研究的主成分分析都揭示了RIS评分的两个不同成分；一种成分最能说明OAS得分。两项研究的回归分析均表明，OAS分数预测了RIS的第一个主要成分，而不是第二个。

结论

在选择一个浪漫伴侣时，增香剂的价值似乎反映出两种不同的基本态度。第一种态度重视情人气味的方方面面，而第二种态度则认为重要的是，情人不要闻起来很香。气味意识仅与这些态度中的第一个有关。

含义

这些发现表明，在伴侣选择中，气味意识占了一些有关气味价值的态度，但并不是所有的态度。其他因素，例如需要避免厌恶刺激，也可能会导致嗅觉在选择伴侣中的相对重要性。