Leafing through Nelson Mandela's autobiography can improve a man's chances of winning a woman's heart, says a study.
LONDON: Leafing through Nelson Mandela's autobiography can improve a man's chances of winning a woman's heart, says a study on how reading can help those looking for love.
"While men and women shared a love of cookery books, poetry and song lyrics, men said women who read current affairs websites would impress them the most, suggesting that they find partners who can display a factual knowledge of the outside world more attractive," according to the study conducted by the National Year of Reading, a British project to promote reading.
"Women, on the other hand, put men who read Nelson Mandela's autobiography top of their list as it shows a more sensitive understanding of world issues, through a personal lens," the project said in a release.
More research findings:
* Almost one in five adults (18 percent) would read whilst waiting for their date to arrive in the hope of making a good first impression.
* Men are twice as likely as women to read poetry to impress a potential partner.
* Almost half (47 percent) of teens drop it into conversation and a quarter (24 percent) of teens back that up with evidence by leaving their reading material visible in their bag.
* However, lying about something people have read to impress the person they fancy is the second most common dating deceit, after fibbing about your previous sexual conquests. People are more likely to lie about what they've read than their age or job, with more than a third (39 percent) bending the truth about their reading material to friends and potential partners.
Jenni Trent Hughes, dating and relationship expert, said: "For many of us, myself included, someone's reading habits top the list of 'Who Is My Perfect Match?' Do they read a lot? What do they read? Do they enjoy having deep and meaningful discussions about what they've read?
"The fact that someone enjoys reading can tell you that their mind is open to learning new things. It usually indicates a variety of interests and provides endless topics for discussion," she said.
National Year of Reading director Honor Wilson-Fletcher said: "Reading is a brilliant tool for self-expression. I love the fact that every generation seems to know that it can help us all increase our potential appeal in the search for love and romance."
For those who find classics and poetry heavy, he added there is more to reading than that. "Websites, song lyrics and current affairs titles are just as important."
Top 10 reads to impress a man:
1. Current Affairs websites
2. Shakespeare
3. Song lyrics
4. Cookery books
5. Poetry
6. "Long Walk to Freedom" By Nelson Mandela
7. Jane Austen
8. Facebook/Myspace
9. Religious texts
10. Financial Times
Top 10 reads to impress a woman:
1. "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
2. Shakespeare
3. Cookery books
4. Poetry
5. Song lyrics
6. Current affairs websites
7. Text messages
8. Emails
9. Financial Times
10. Facebook
Top 10 reads to impress a teenage guy:
1. Facebook/Myspace
2. Text messages
3. Harry Potter
4. Song lyrics
5. Emails
6. Current affairs websites
7. Zoo/Nuts
8. Poetry
9. Metro
10. Shakespeare
Top 10 reads to impress a teenage girl:
1. Facebook/Myspace
2. Text messages
3. Song lyrics
4. Cookery books
5. Harry Potter
6. Poetry
7. Emails
8. Jane Austen
9. Shakespeare
10. Heat
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