Men kind of suck at relationships, study says

New research from McGill University suggests attached men are more likely than attached women to harbour negative feelings toward their partner after an attractive singleton makes a move, according to the study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Women are more likely to view the flirtation as a threat to their relationship and are driven to protect it, the study showed.

Researchers put 724 heterosexual college-age men and women involved in serious relationships through seven lab tests to measure their response to temptation. In one, a member of the opposite sex either flirted with them or ignored them. Afterward, participants filled out a survey saying how they would react if a partner confessed to something like forgetting their anniversary.

When flirted with, males were 12 per cent less likely to brush off their partner's blunder. Meanwhile, females were 17.5 per cent more likely to forgive their partner. Lead study author John Lydon says the results may stem from men not being socialized to be wary of attractive strangers in the same way women are.