Men tend to slow down when walking with a romantic partner but walk at an unnaturally fast pace when accompanied by male friends.

Scientists have found that, on average, men walk 7 per cent slower when accompanied by their wife or girlfriend — adjusting their speed to the natural pace of their female partner.

This did not happen for pairs of male and female friends walking together, however. In this case, men and women tend to compromise, with their paces meeting in the middle. Cara Wall-Scheffler, a biologist at Seattle Pacific University who led the study, said: “Men could think that they’re being gentlemanly, but it isn’t something they do for all women or all people who are smaller than them. They are certainly very