Sexual Preference and the Self-Reported Role of Olfaction in Mate Selection

Abstract

Olfactory cues are important in mating in many species, including humans. These odorants may be relevant because of their value as a cue to the reproductive fitness of a potential mate (Trivers 1972), but they could also be important as a signal of mate appropriateness in terms of sexual preference (Lübke and Pause 2015). One way to discriminate between these ideas is to examine whether the importance of olfaction in determining a mate is decreased in homosexual individuals, for whom selecting a mate is dissociated from the selection of a reproductive partner. The present research question asked whether the value of olfactory cues for attraction varies between homosexual and heterosexual groups.

The present study examined odor importance in mating by presenting the Romantic Interest Survey (Herz and Inzlich 2002) to 453 individuals: 142 heterosexual women, 161 heterosexual men, and 150 gay men.

Regression analysis indicated that heterosexual men valued the sense of smell when selecting a mate more than gay men did. In contrast, gay men valued the sound of a partner’s voice more than did heterosexual men. Heterosexual men and women did not differ by sex in terms of the value of olfaction; both men and women value olfactory aspects of a potential mate highly.

The higher value of olfactory cues to heterosexual individuals supports the idea that olfaction in mate selection may act as a cue to reproductive fitness, and indicates that olfactory information is not as valuable to gay men in mate selection.

These findings suggest that many people seem to be looking for similar attributes when searching for a potential romantic partner, and that olfaction is an important aspect of the process.