And who’s taking the longest? Londoners. The city dwellers are taking their time by waiting 194 days (around six months) to utter those three little words.

But why are we delaying dropping the L-bomb?

“There is so much choice with dating these days and there are always other options,” Sara Davison, relationship coach, tells Stylist.co.uk. “It’s accepted as dating etiquette nowadays that we date more than one person at a time – which was never the case when I was in my twenties! So it takes longer to get to the point where you are monogamous – as you will date a few people and then when you find one you prefer, you will then move onto a more serious relationship.”

“There is also the fact that during the early days, you don’t want to put pressure on someone you like as it may push them away. They’ll probably have other options, so you have to tread carefully as not to scare them off into the arms of someone who is not putting any pressure on them to commit too soon.”

However, dating apps also have a part to play. According to a recent study, around a quarter of Britons still use a dating app while in a relationship.

“Dating apps means there is this constant ‘grass is greener’ syndrome,” explains Davison. “If someone doesn’t tick all your boxes then it’s easy to keep searching in the hope of finding someone who does.”

This is how long people wait to say ‘I love you’ in 2018