Know how long you need to wait before saying ‘I Love You’

It takes longer to hold hands with than to kiss a new partner.

Pic courtesy: Thinkstock image.

London: New relationships are marked by a series of milestones from the moment you lay eyes on new partner to first kiss, but a new study may have the answer to that all important question -- when to utter those three words?

The study by dating site Match.com suggests that many Brits would kiss a new partner almost straight away, jump into bed with them after two weeks, and saying 'I love you' normally happens after five months of dating (precisely 144 days), dailymail.co.uk reported.

According to the researchers, who surveyed more than 2,000 men and women for the study, it also takes longer to hold hands with than to kiss a new partner, with 31 percent claiming they would snog their date immediately, and 34 percent revealing they would wait between one and two weeks to holds hands.

More than a quarter (27 percent) of Brits wait between one and two weeks to sleep with their partner, while 23 percent wait one month. However, three-fifths (60 percent) would introduce their partner to their best friend within the first month, the study revealed.

The findings also suggest that British daters also see five months as the perfect time to embark on a very modern dating milestone: updating their social media relationship status (157 days).

The study also sheds some light on that all-important six-month mark, suggesting that this is when three major relationship milestones take place: the revealing of one's imperfections (173 days), the first argument (170 days) and when most parental introductions take place.

Over a quarter (28 percent) of people surveyed also said they would wait at least six months before leaving their toothbrush at their partner's house, whilst 40 percent said the same for being given a drawer at their partner's house.

"While each relationship moves at its own pace, daters are often reassured by comparing their experiences with others," dailymail quoted Kate Taylor, dating expert for Match.com, as saying.

"If your relationship isn't falling within these time frames, use them to adjust your expectations," Taylor said.