London, Nov 15 Men are quicker to say 'I love you' to their partners than women, says a new study.

According to the dating survey, which was conducted for Stella magazine, men take an average of seven months to tell a new partner that they love them, however, when it comes to women, they take almost eight months, reports The Telegraph.

The study also found that when it comes to dating, the over 55s are the most active - and experimental - of all age groups.

To reach the conclusion, Stella commissioned YouGov to interview almost 2,000 men and women of all ages and backgrounds who have been on a date in the past year.

Jenni Trent Hughes, a relationship counsellor, said: "Although women do tend to wear their heart on their sleeves more than men do, men are just as emotional and sensitive - sometimes even more so."

Oliver James, the clinical psychologist and author, said the findings supported other studies that showed that men fall in love more frequently than women.

"This is because women mature sooner than men and develop to be more hard-nosed, realistic and in touch with their emotions," he added.

He added: "So when a man says 'I love you' it might be his way of dealing with a lot of complex, difficult emotions that he doesn't really understand, whereas when a woman says it, it might carry a greater weight. The classic cliché is that men use love to get sex and women use sex to get love." (ANI)