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’。

　　However, their motives may not be entirely noble。

　　A 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。

　　When researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. 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。

　　But not because they are soppy sorts. Instead, they see the declaration as a sign a woman wants to go to bed with them。

　　Said later on, they may fear commitment and head for the hills。

　　Women, however, are loath to trust men who bring up the subject too early, perhaps as they have more to lose from pregnancy。

　　But said after they are in a sexual relationship, it brings with it the promise of commitment and a potential father to any child。

　　Researchers said: ‘When examining what actually happened in their past and current relationships, it was men who were more likely to confess love first。

　　‘This was not simply a function of women waiting for their partners to make the first move – men first considered expressing their feelings six weeks before women did。

　　‘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.’

　　也许这句话至少要三个月后才能说出口，但男人是先说“我爱你”这三个字的，和人们普遍认为的情况正相反。

　　不过，他们的动机也许并不都那么高尚。

　　一项研究发现，在恋情初期就示爱的男人不可靠，女人其实更喜欢男人在恋情步入正轨后再表白。

　　来自美国麻省理工学院的研究人员调查了45名男性和女性，大多数人都认为女人是先表白的那一方。

　　然而，在对其他人现在和过去的恋情做了调查后，发现事实正好相反，61.5%的情况是男性先表白的。

　　据《个性与社会心理学杂志》的报道，男性在进入恋爱关系第97.3天时会开始考虑示爱，比女性早了六周。

　　不过这并不是因为他们情意绵绵。相反地，他们将其视为女人愿意和他们上床的一种信号。

　　如果晚些再表白，他们可能会害怕承诺而逃得远远的。

　　但是女人并不愿信任过早示爱的男人，也许是因为她们怀孕了之后失去的更多。

　　不过，假如男人在他们发生性关系后再表白，这意味着承诺，并可能成为孩子的父亲。

　　研究人员说：“在审视了他们过去和现在恋情中的真实情况之后，我们发现男人更可能先示爱。”

　　“这一结果并不仅仅是因为女人一直在等待伴侣踏出第一步，男性开始考虑表白的时间本来就比女性早了六周。

　　“男人比女人先示爱的一个重要原因是男人想借此早点发生性关系的欲望更强烈。”