He says that until a man reaches the age of 35, there is no reason he should quit his beer-drinking, skirt-chasing, freedom-loving lifestyle where women come and go like bad pop songs and commitment is not on his radar. But it's beyond the age of 35 that men are suddenly forced to face the facts: their Guyland citizenship has passed its used-by-date. As Deeson writes of his own experience: "At some point you do have to check out of Guyland, and that is what I've done recently, albeit somewhat late in life. At one-minute-to-midnight at the end of my 30s, I swapped hooking up for tidying up, and bragging about drinking for being on the receiving end of nagging about drinking." He also says that, while many men might fear that this exit might incite fear in the hearts and minds of perpetual Guyland occupants, it's not as bad as one might first think. "I'd like to say I've made a compromise, a trade-off between freedom and domesticity, but I have to say to all my single brethren: it is not. It's more like swapping a lifestyle that is built for mental ill health for a life of staggering happiness and just the odd row about whose turn it is to pay the cleaner." The increasing growth in anti-commitment males has meant that the women have had to start wising up.

"Anything that starts with a twent – stay away," says my counsellor friend Jess. "They don't know what they want and, even when they find it, they quickly find an excuse to exit themselves from the situation." The "thirts" – as she calls men in their 30s, are also a perilous time in a man's life. "Many of the thirts become extremely accustomed to their freedom and lifestyle. So they look for a woman who will just be happy to slot into their busy schedule. It isn't the ideal situation, either." Yet contrary to Deeson's hypothesis, many of the men I know have broken this mould. There are men in their 20s who prove to be better long-term prospects than those in their 40s. And there are men over 35 who are so hopeless at commitment, honesty and communicating that you wished you'd never met them in the first place. So if age is often just a number, then how the heck do you know what type of man you're getting ensconced with? How do you know if they're stuck in Guyland or they've already exited and are now on the hunt for real, lasting love?

After canvassing a bunch of men (and the women who have dated them), it seems there are at least four types of bachelors stuck in Guyland – whom no matter what age they are – might just be sticking around there for all eternity ... The Toxic Bachelor He's

The City Adventurer ' The Male Spinster ''' "I never want to settle down, because why should I? I get older every year, but the chicks stay the same age. I can still pull women in their 20s, and besides, once I've had 'em I don't want to see 'em again; the thrill is in the chase." George Clooney is one such type. With no signs of ever settling down (he's 50), he once had Nicole Kidman bet him $10,000 that he would be married by 40. He's since mailed her back the cheque saying "Double or nothing for another 10 years." She lost again.

So what's a girl to do? In order to avoid the unhappy cascade of women who fall in love with a man who lives in Guyland, my girlfriend Trish reckons she's discovered the answer: when you start dating any man, give him at least three to four months without bothering him about anything much. "That means no neediness, no texting, no calling, no complaining about not being a priority in his life," advises Trish. Apparently sometimes this aloof female behaviour is enough to draw him out of Guyland for good. Of course there are simply some men out there who vow to stay there forever, despite how well the woman plays the game … What do you think? Do men only exit Guyland at around 35-years-old when they are finally ready for commitment? Are you, or have you experienced any of these bachelor types?