Love Goes Through the Microbiome

When we fall in love, the microorganisms that colonise our bodies play a decisive role. The reason for this lies in evolutionary history. Whether it's love at first sight or an acquaintanceship that deepens over time - at the beginning of every relationship there's that one point where it "clicks" between two people. The fact that this happens is due to our evolutionary history and is not just to do with obvious reasons such as visual attractiveness or common interests. Rather, nature has arranged that our choice of partner is also influenced by our microbiome, i.e. the entirety of the microorganisms that live on and in us. The more different, the better. "Choosing a partner is not just about beauty, but about volatile substances, the body's own odours, and these are produced by the microbiome.