'I love u' text messages a turnoff for women

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Australian women may have embraced the digital era, but they prefer a face-to-face declaration of affection to an "I love u" text and find men addicted to their mobile phones a major turnoff.

That's according to a study carried out by romance publisher Mills & Boon, timed to coincide with Valentines Day on Tuesday.

The 2012 Australian Romance Report found 91 percent of woman expected to be asked out on a date with a telephone call rather than via a mobile phone message.

And 86 percent of respondents were more comfortable saying "I love you" in person than via a text message.

The least romantic of gestures was declaring one's love via a relationship status change on Facebook.

At a time when women see themselves as more independent than ever before, many of the traditional beliefs about romance still resonate, said Michelle Laforest of publisher Harlequin Enterprises, which carried out the survey.

While most single woman would admit that the rules of dating have changed, 61 percent still believe a guy should "ask me out".

The online survey of 1,200 single women aged 18 to 55 also revealed 76 percent would be more willing to stand in front of someone naked with the lights on than send a naked photograph by text.

When it came to relationship deal-breakers, a Blackberry/iPhone dependency and Facebook photos with ex-lovers rated highly as turnoffs.

Asked what they most wanted in a partner, women were mostly traditional, nominating a killer smile, a great sense of humour and an accent as their biggest turn-ons.

Questions:

1. Who carried out the study?

2. What percentage of woman expected to be asked out on a date with a telephone call rather than via a mobile phone message?

3. How many single women took part in the survey?

Answers:

1. Mills & Boon

2. 91%

3. 1,200

（中国日报网英语点津 Rosy 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.