Smelling worn and sweaty T-shirts isn’t normally the initial tactic for meeting your future mate, but chemistry might surprise you. 

Forty-four men wore a T-shirt two nights in a row leaving their unique scent. Female volunteers were asked to sniff seven samples and describe each odor’s intensity, pleasantness and attractiveness. 

On a “Stinky T-Shirt study” by swiss  zoologist Claus Wedekind, the females favored T-shirts worn by men with  immune systems different from their own. 

The choosey nature of selecting different gene make-up produces healthier offspring with stronger immunities.

Wedekind is a professor of biology at University Lausanne in Switzerland.  He is a member of the European Science Foundation (ESF) Pool of Referees, and he studies human behavior and the behavioral ecology of animals.

Relationships may take root in attraction, but genuine loving relationships are more complex.

Relationships are inevitable in college-life.  We form relationships in our classes, in different activities such as sports, in organizations and through life’s tough trials. 

However, some relationships we form in college could lead to marriage.  To know about the relationships at UTSA, the Paisano  interviewed Roadrunner couples. 

Senior communication major Lorena Ortega and senior computer science major Richard Hernandez are going on two years of dating and have recently moved-in together.  As graduation approaches they continue to learn more through their education and further their understanding of one another.

 “I feel like I have that support; we rely more on each other, more than anybody else,” Ortega said. “Some of the most important things are communication and understanding to put yourself in the other’s person’s shoes.”

“My number one thing is to be able to provide for her. I want to be the one to make the right decisions, to take care of her and make sure our dreams come true. We’ll be able to travel and build a family one day.”

Relationships may look picture-perfect, but there are times of testing that can strengthen or challenge couples.  

According to Lipita Martinez-Goller, UTSA counseling services staff clinician, one of the reasons couples experience confict is that  one may try to change the other.

It’s not easy being in love, but the best things in life take work. Senior business  major  James Ward agrees completely about working for the relationship. “Relationships take work,” said Ward. “We all have a self-serving bias; if you’re not willing to work a long time with someone, you’re probably not willing to date somebody.”

To identify an unhealthy relationship, ask yourself the following questions:

“Are interactions in the relationship driven by how you can get your partner to appreciate/love/need you more?” Martinez-Goller said “Love is not earned through acts. You deserve to be loved just for being you.”

Ward has been dating Sarah Horn, senior at the University of Texas,  for a year and five months. Ward was attracted to Horn’s “sense of humor, her beauty, her heart for people, her intelligence and most importantly, her heart for Jesus,” he said.

To win Horn’s heart, Ward continually discovers her likes and interests.

“Right now we are both training for a half marathon together” said Ward. To share time together the two attend Longhorn football games, compete in canoe racing and share thoughts and life goals in a journal. Relaying journal entries to one another like a baton in a race, they always seem to keep things fresh.

Newlyweds Warren, senior computer science major and Christina Young, senior biology major  met   at  UTSA three years ago. 

Warren confessed, “When I first saw her physically, I liked her curly hair and thought she was really pretty. She seemed reserved, but after meeting her she was caring, friendly and one of the few girls that played Halo.”

“He seemed really caring and gentle. He seemed really genuine, that’s when I realized he was attractive,” Young said as she looked up and recalled the first time she laid eyes on him. However, the Happily Ever After may not evolve without change. 

 “If a student wants to be happier in their relationship, I encourage them to work and change for themselves,” Martinez-Goller said. “If the change is a win-win situation for both partners, there is less chance of resentment from either partner.”

“I think the key with us is that I was willing to work on certain issues in life that I knew were not right,” Young said. “We both matured together and God was the only way I changed.”

The Youngs help each other around the house and enjoy cooking together. In the future, they plan to graduate, further their education and eventually have children.

Smelling T-shirts may attract people, but love is a sacrifice that keeps them together.  UTSA counseling offers students professional services in a confidential environment to discuss important concerns they may have.