By Catherine Portland.

We all know the stereotypes: women are fools for love while men remain emotionally staid and inscrutable. However, new research suggests this may be another stereotype that should be consigned to the fiction section, as men apparently fall in love far faster and harder than women. If your looking for love, UK Net Guide's Online Dating Search can find you the best dating sites online!

The idea of love at first sight may get the sceptics rolling their eyes, but one in three British guys have fallen for a girl on the first date and half admitted to falling in love by the third date if the woman is right for them.

However, women are far less likely to fall head over heels quickly, with just one in ten British women believing in love at first sight.

Dr Victoria Lukats, psychiatrist at dating site Parship, which conducted the research, reasoned that there could be an evolutionary basis for this discrepancy; with women needing to be more selective about who they fall in love with.

She said: "The scientific explanation my simply come down biology. In prehistoric times men may have fathered a large number of children over their lifetime, whereas women were unable to do the same.

"A woman is investing a great deal in falling in love and potentially having a child with someone. In order to give her child (and her genes) the best possible chance of surviving into adulthood any small advantage can help. It could be seen as a safer gamble to take longer in weighing up a mates potential fathering ability before taking the plunge. This still applies to some extent in today's society."

Of course men might just be more decisive and Dr Lukats acknowledged this theory as well. She said: "It could be that men just make up their mind quicker than women in all sorts of areas whether it's buying a new pair of jeans, deciding what to have for dinner, or who they want to spend the rest of their life with."

What is more, when men are in love they are more likely to fall victim to love sickness. More than one in ten admit that being in love can induce dizziness, stomach aches and even skin rashes. Nearly a quarter have experienced heart palpitations and one in three are unable to think clearly.

A quarter of those surveyed admitted to pulling a sickie from work and not just so they could spend more time cuddled up with their new flame. Even those that do make it into the office, despite the butterflies, dizziness and inability to think clearly, will see their productivity dip by 20 per cent.

Dr Lukats explained: "Most of us have experienced the sensation of falling in love, with butterflies in the stomach, nervous anticipation and that general warm fuzzy feeling – although sometime these effects can be more extreme.

"This is thought to be associated in part with a surge in the hormone oxytocin. Interestingly, this is the same hormone that is released when mothers are breast feeding and bonding with their babies. It is also released in the brain after an orgasm."