Parents to blame for women 'unlucky in love', claim scientists

The reason why some women remain without a long-term boyfriend appears to have been solved by Australian scientists.

The study could explain why some women such as Jennifer Aniston, remain unlucky in love. Photo: REUTERS

Researchers from the University of Western Australia reportedly claim some of the secrets of attraction appear to be hidden in certain immune system genes inherited from our parents.

They found that a woman's appearance or sweat contains clues to the genetic make-up of her immune system.

 The scientists, who studied the DNA of almost 150 university students, found that the more varied the genes were the more boyfriends a woman was likely to have.

The scientists, reporting in the journal Animal Behavior, said they couldn’t be certain why a woman's immune system affected her success with men.

They were also unclear whether her genes make her irresistible to the opposite sex – or whether she finds them irresistible.

But it could explain why some women, such as Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston, remain unlucky in love.

In the study participants, including aspiring doctors and engineers, were asked to provide a DNA sample as well as completing a detailed questionnaire about their love lives.

The DNA was then scrutinised for variations in genes known to influence the immune system, where the more diverse these genes, the stronger a person's defence against disease.

The results of the test were then compared to the survey.

This showed that the women with the most varied major histocompatibility (MHC) genes, had the most sexual partners, the Daily Mail reported.

“None of these explanations are mutually exclusive and, regardless of the underlying mechanism, the effect of MHC diversity is intriguing and deserves further investigation,” the research team concluded.

There was, however, no link between a man's MHC genes and his success with women.