More Than 100,000 Men Expected To Propose On Valentine's Day

You could be forgiven for thinking Valentine's Day was invented by greeting card companies so they can exploit people's emotions and sell them an idea of love that doesn't exist, as well as a bunch of related tat.

But you would be totally wrong and probably just lashing out because you are bitter and single.

Yes, it seems that some 115,000 men - around five percent of all men in the United Kingdom, to be exact - who are currently living with their partners will have chosen the special day to pop the big question next month.

When it comes to showing how much you love someone, what could be more romantic than asking someone to spend the rest of their lives with you?

And you thought it was just a materialistic ploy.

But before jumping head-first into a decision that will no doubt change your life forever, bear in mind that according to some research, around a quarter of proposals end in abject failure. Sorry to be a downer, but it's true.

So if you are thinking about taking the leap next month, then here are a few stats that could help you decide how to traverse the tricky terrain of the marriage proposal.

Firstly, according to the study, only 19 percent of men and 12 percent of women think you need to ask their parents for permission before proposing, while only eight percent think you need an engagement ring.

And apparently almost a quarter of men said they would rather be proposed to than propose themselves - though just 10 percent of women said they would want to get down on one knee.

But perhaps the least shocking statistic of the lot, was that only one percent of Brits think it's a good idea to propose to their partner in front of an audience. Yeah, you'd want to keep the chance of rejection-based embarrassment to a minimum really, wouldn't you?

However, most said they would prefer not to do it during the festive period, so that they didn't share their special day with anyone else.

No pressure then.