Love at first smell? Singles sniff for mates at pheromone partie

You've heard of love at first sight, but some people are starting to believe in love at first scent.

Have you ever smelled your significant other's old T-shirt and felt attached to his or her smell? Just like with animals, some scientists believe odorless chemicals called pheromones coming from the opposite sex can trigger attraction.

With that theory in mind, pheromone parties were born. At these get-togethers, guests bring a T-shirt--without perfumes or scented soaps--that has been slept in for three consecutive nights. The worn shirt with the person's "animal essence" is put in a bag with a number identifying the owner and passed around to other attendees. Then, participants pick their mate based on smell.

At Chicago's Sweetwater Bar & Grill, there's more than meets the eye--or nose--at a Valentine's Day pheromone party.

"Your nose detects that chemical," event organizer Renee explains to the group. "It's not necessarily a scent or odor, it's something amorphous and mysterious. If you see your number being held by a person in question, you can choose or choose not to speak with them."

Matchmaker Amber Neal believes, "people will go to more of these events and try to meet someone if there's a built-in icebreaker."

For more information on the matching making experiment based on scent, visit the Pheromone Parties website.