With thousands of singles available on dating apps it may be tempting to cast the net far and wide when looking for love.

But a new study from Oxford University suggests that singles only have the mental capacity to effectively communicate with around seven new people per week, even though they might have access to hundreds of potential ‘matches’.

A study of 150,000 users of eharmony found that although the average person contacts 12 new people a week, they engage with far fewer, suggesting that people should not take a lack of reply too personally.

Patrick Gildersleve a doctoral student at the University of Oxford added: “We were motivated by research on the cognitive limit on the number of social connections humans can maintain, and investigate whether there is an analogue for humans when considering romantic relationships.

“Whilst strategies might vary across more casual dating platforms, users on eharmony are particularly invested in finding a long term romantic partner, so we are confident that these findings are applicable to non-casual courtship behaviour in general.”

The findings are in line with Dunbar’s number - a theory suggested by Robin Dunbar of Oxford which maintains there is a limit to the number of people with whom a person can maintain stable friendships.