Among those who believe themselves to be a nine out of 10, 35% say they are better-looking than their partner.

It seems that most people think that they have met their perfect match, with 44% of those who rated themselves as average looking placing their partner on the same level as themselves.

And while age supposedly brings confidence, it is the younger generation that is more likely to see themselves as possessing above-average looks. While 37% of 18-24 year olds consider themselves a six or seven, the rate continues to fall among each age group before reaching its lowest in the age 55+ bracket, at 18%.

As for whether there is indeed a fairer sex, the results found no divide between men and women on how they rated their own appearance.

Perhaps the most interesting of the results is just how attractive we would like our ideal partner to be. When asked to rate their dream partner, only 12% of participants expressed a desire for their ideal partner to be a 10 out of 10 on the physical attractiveness scale and they all fell into the same group – those who gave themselves top marks.

Images: iStock / Haley Powers

The surprising truth about how we see ourselves in relationships