Came across a rather interesting article in the paper a couple of days back that said something like: men and women are attracted to each other depending on the smell of their sweat; or rather body odor. I am sure many of you will react to this by saying: duh, doesn’t everybody know that by now? But what really caught my attention was that scientists believe it is the genes located in the HLA Complex – Human Leucocyte Antigen Complex – that play the key role of finding our ‘true love’ for us... (For all the non-Biology students: the HLA Complex is concerned with the immune system of man; and that is all I am going to say here… it would take me eons to explain how and why! Google it... :) )
Chemistry of attraction, eh?
This kinda explains why there might be instant attraction towards a girl who is not necessarily breath-takingly beautiful, or a guy who is not Brad Pitt. (Although let me please mention here – and I do NOT care what you think – I DON’T like Brad Pitt. I think he looks nice, and acts decent. But I will not drool if ever I find myself standing in front of him.)
This also somehow explains the age old concept of ‘love at first sight’ (only it should be love at first ‘smell’!)...
But pray, how does this explain falling in love with someone you haven’t ever met in person?
Like maybe someone you met on a social networking website maybe?
Or someone you saw at a party???
Crazy man... really...
After the first read, I casually joked about the article with my Dad (yeah yeah, he is a very cool person I have no problem discussing sex with... :) ) and then totally forgot all about it... until today when I saw a Marathi Film not really related to the issue, but which had physical relations playing a major role in the story. (I won’t mention the name of the movie; but if you know me personally, and if your curiosity gets the better of you, contact me!)
‘Shevati donach goshti/bhavana kharya... pot ani chambdi.’
(In the end, only 2 things matter... hunger and sex.)
Is it really so?
If one really thinks very objectively about this whole ‘falling in love’ business, then it is all only about finding the right match, or the ‘most-fit mate’ for yourself, so that you can be sure your species isn’t gonna go extinct, and that your off-springs shall be fit and healthy and shall survive; and even science can be said to have proved it (according to the article I just mentioned about... you know, HLA - immune system - body odor - falling in love – love at first sight etc etc...) Does this reduce all the feelings, emotions, love, attachment, affection, attraction, and scores of other things we feel for our partners to just the skin? And just sex? And if ‘yes’ then who are better-off? The ‘good guys’? Or the ‘flirts’, the ‘chaplus’ guys, the ‘romeos’, the ‘Casanovas’, as they are variously called, who have only one thing on their mind?
Probably all this emotion-play came into being to keep us engaged! They say guys like the chase... girls like the suave ones... unpredictability... mysteriousness... this, that... falana-dimka... imagine if all this was gone, and finding ‘the right one’ was reduced down to one sniff... we’d be really bored! With all the ‘worldly comforts’, inventions or whatever, taking care of all the things we have to do, we’d be left with a horrible amount of free time and nothing to do!
I guess that’s why, we need ‘sex with ALL strings attached’... rather than with no string attached!
4 comments:
I think you hit the nail on the head with the last few lines. Although it MAY boil down to just that in the end, continuity of species, humans would MUCH prefer the emotions, feelings, joy, sorrrow, excitement, laughter, the walk of life together, that comes with the entire package, and not just the primal bit in the end.
Odor , Aroma or Smell ! its an attractant . may be For some its a "turn on" ;) ! now u wonder why so many "sents" particular with gender and orientation might have been manufactured :D
"Chemistry of attraction" :P
But at the back of the mind, somewhere till down the spine, u have ur consciences speaking to u abt anybody -- thts called as " GUT feeling " ... :)
To place the verdict of other side of coin, hunger n sex are part of life , most impt in GAME of love is trust n passion.
Coming to BIO - logic, mostly what ever it is HLA " Highly lubricating Attractant" :D ... oky m misleading here, but ya wat ever tht stands for there are more jus to this, ITS charismatically or monogamously HORMONES or either sex , which arouse the feeling of SEX!
Last but not the least LOVE has hardly to do with any1 of this ! take home message is ... do all things with open eyes ! :D
whoa! food for thought, eh? thanks for your comment Paresh...
That was an inetesting article... There have been lot of research proving this on body odours and being a bilogy student i have lot of evidences to exaplin them... an eng movie called.. " Perfume" was based on one such concept.... good article and as always u have put it up well....
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