New pants? Not for me...

Men only buy new underwear when they are starting a relationship.

A new study has shown most males only purchase pants for 17 years of their life. The rest of the time they rely on their mothers or partners to update their underwear.

Rob Faucherand of UK department store Debenhams told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper: “You can tell when a man is looking for a partner by the number of new underpants they buy. If he buys more than 31 pairs every year, he’s either still trying desperately to impress the woman in his life – or else she’s not The One!”

The research indicates most boys don’t start buying their own briefs until they are 19. In contrast, girls start splashing out on new smalls when they are 13.

The study also looked the different types of underwear men buy. Those between 19 and 26 tend to opt for tight-fitting briefs, while 26 to 33-year-old prefer a looser boxer short style. The over 33s revert to the tried-and-tested Y-front style.