It may take them at least three months to get round to it but, contrary to popular perception, men are the first to say "I love you".
When researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US questioned 45 men and women, most thought women were first to broach the topic.
But quizzing others about current and past relationships revealed the opposite to be true, with the man saying the phrase first 61.5 per cent of the time.
Men began thinking about professing their love 97.3 days into a relationship - six weeks earlier than women, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reports.
One important reason men may confess love earlier than women do is because men have a stronger desire to motivate early sexual activity in relationships.
Other experiments revealed timing to be a key, with men happiest to hear the three little words early in a relationship.
Not because they are soppy sorts. Instead, they see the declaration as a sign a woman wants to go to bed with them.
Women, however, are loath to trust men who bring up the subject too early.
The study found men who profess their love early in a relationship are not to be trusted - and that women actually prefer it when males wait to get serious.
But said after they are in a sexual relationship, for women, it brings with it the commitment and a potential father to any child.


据英国《每日邮报》17日报道：男人表白可能至少到两人交往三个月以后，但和流行观念不同的是，男性确实是在恋情中最先说"我爱你"的那一方。
当来自美国麻省理工学院的研究员在对45位男性和女性做问卷调查时，他们中大多数人都认为是女方会先提出这个话题。

但是在对另外一些人就其当前及过去恋情的考察中他们却得出相反结论。最先告白的有61.5%是男性。
《人格和社会心理学》杂志称，在交往97.3天后，男性就开始考虑表白感情了，这比女性要提前六个礼拜。

男性告白时间早的一个很重要的原因是他们想与对方发生性行为的渴望更强烈。

还有一些实验证实告白时机至关重要，在交往不久后就能听到女方说这三个字，男性会感到无比快乐。
这并非因为男性都多情，而是他们把这种告白看成是女性意与其发生性关系的信号。

相反，女性则很不情愿去相信太早就告白的男性。
研究发现那些在双方交往不久就向女方告白的男性往往得不到信赖，事实上，女性更乐意接受男性经过耐心等待而做出的慎重告白。
但是当男人在双方有了性关系之后再告白，对于女方来说，这种告白就成了承诺，两人会有生子的可能。

• contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)
• institute [´institju:t] n.学院 vt.建立；设置 (初中英语单词)
• phrase [freiz] n.短语；词组；措词 (初中英语单词)
• journal [´dʒə:nəl] n.日记；日报；杂志 (初中英语单词)
• personality [,pə:sə´næliti] n.人；个性；人品；人物 (初中英语单词)
• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• relationship [ri´leiʃənʃip] n.关系；联系；亲属关系 (高中英语单词)
• psychology [sai´kɔlədʒi] n.心理(学) (高中英语单词)
• declaration [,deklə´reiʃən] n.宣布；宣言；申报 (高中英语单词)
• profess [prə´fes] v.声称；讲授 (高中英语单词)
• potential [pə´tenʃəl] n.&a.潜在的；可能的 (高中英语单词)
• perception [pə´sepʃən] n.感觉；概念；理解力 (英语四级单词)
• sexual [´sekʃuəl] a.性(欲)的 (英语六级单词)