Touching...holding hands is still our favourite way to show love
HOLDING hands and buying a surprise gift are still the most popular ways of showing love, according to a study.
Sending flowers, breakfast in bed and a candlelit dinner also feature on a list of time-honoured ways in which lovers display their feelings.
A survey of 2,000 adults by romance publishers Mills & Boon revealed that writing an old-fashioned love letter is still favoured by one in five Britons.
And almost 60 per cent admitted that they were bewildered by romance in a modern world of emails, texts and WhatsApp.
The survey revealed a generational gap on the subject of romance.
Some 93 per cent of those aged 45 and older believed there was still a place for chivalry. But 37 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds said acts such as opening a door for a lady have no place in the modern world.
Ordering for someone else at a restaurant, taking off a hat when entering a room and standing at a table when your partner arrives and leaves are all seen as outdated now.
In its guide to romance in the modern age, Mills & Boon urges readers to “use emojis wisely” and tidy the room before FaceTiming, instead of writing an old-fashioned love letter.
The guide also warns about email, saying: “There’s nothing worse than an Outlook calendar invite to your date.” It added: “Today’s relationship rules are very different and finding the perfect partner, living with them and staying together is a more complex achievement than ever before.”
More than half of those quizzed communicated most with their partner digitally, while just 46 per cent still relied on a personal conversation.
However computer-orientated the world becomes, though, it seems there is always room for the romance of holding hands, having a cuddle and buying a surprise gift.
At the other end of the scale, mobilephone addiction – especially having the phone at the dinner table – is the “top passion-killer”.
Lisa Milton, executive publisher of Mills & Boon, said: “With so many
The liTTle Things
Holding hands Having a cuddle Buying a surprise gift A romantic walk Giving flowers Planning surprise trip Candlelit dinner Breakfast in bed Cooking meal from scratch Writing a love letter Running a bath for partner Arranging surprise date night Talking about happy memories Waiting up for your loved one Waiting to watch favourite TV together Letting your partner choose the movie to watch Checking loved one got home Bringing home your partner’s favourite meal Giving a foot massage Sharing an umbrella people either worried or confused about romance in the modern era, it is clear they need a little gentle help with affairs of the heart.
“We have seen how notions of romance have changed in a digital era but also how many age-old gestures remain the epitome of romance.”