For some men that might set off alarm bells. The Move It study showed that women would rather date a bad kisser who can dance, rather than vice versa – no small pressure for the less rhythmically inclined, while the Lindt study showed that only half of men have even attempted to pen a love poem or letter.
Yet there are still reasons to resist the pressures that abound this weekend. A Reuters/Ipsos poll, which contacted men and women in 23 countries, showed that a good percentage of both sexes said that they’d actually just rather spend the day with their pet.
That means that men in Turkey, where 49 percent would rather hang out with their dog (or cat or fish), followed by India (41 percent), Japan (30 percent), and China (29 percent) should be able to get away with a fairly low investment this Sunday.
And even in France, which scored the highest in romance in the poll (only 10 percent of them would prefer their pet), the desire for something simple abounds. One French woman in the 16th district of Paris says her husband’s Valentine habits track all over the map. “Take me to a restaurant; je suis très contente,” she says.
Although the biggest Valentine’s Day news in France is the reported gift by Angelina Jolie of a 200-year old olive tree for Brad Pitt, to grace their $50 million Chateau Miraval home in Provence, our correspondent’s informal survey shows that perfume is the most marketed option. Purchasing simple cakes and tarts that couples plan to share together is also popular.
