AAH…. last week was for lovers with their eyes firmly fixed on St Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of the year. Or was it?

That all depends on what you believe from the plethora of research which has been going on.

According to a survey for Virgin Atlantic, it is in fact the most depressing day of the year, when Cupid’s crossbow has a major misfire.

Single people regarded February 14 as the day they dreaded most all year as it reminded them that they were alone with no one to love and made them feel bad for being single when in fact they claimed it is no big deal. Some said it reminded them of a previous relationship which did not work out.

And almost three-quarters of those lucky in love thought Valentine’s Day was tacky and commercial.

Most were likely to spend that evening sitting in front of the telly watching a cheesy or horror film rather than going out to a restaurant with an expensive set menu.

Another survey concluded that romance is dead. New technology is seeing off many of our traditional romantic gestures.

Scented handwritten love letters were increasingly unlikely to arrive on doormats on Tuesday as more than a third of Brits no longer write letters by hand. They are more likely to send cyber versions which are much harder than paper missives to store away in treasure boxes to be sifted through in years to come.

It’s the same with photos and a tape of ooh-aah melodies especially made up for a loved one.

On the other hand, yet another survey comes up with the information that British men are more romantic than women, with males spending a total of �611 million on Valentine’s Day gifts, while the ladies spent just �269 million, although a third of men and 45 per cent of women said they would not spend anything.

Over a third of men thought Valentine’s Day was romantic while less than a quarter of women felt the same.

Nearly half the ladies said they were bored of receiving the same old tiresome gifts of flowers, champagne, chocolates and lingerie. They would prefer to be whisked away on a short break.

About one in 10 of the women questioned said they would like their other half to cook them a romantic meal from scratch and wash up afterwards.

I offered beans on toast on Tuesday but for some reason the dish was rejected.

Of course, there are two opportunities for romantic gestures this month, with it being a leap year.

Researchers did not miss this either, and have come up with facts: 44 per cent of men would say ‘yes’ if their girlfriend proposed. However, the ladies were less certain about the outcome, with only 31 per cent of them thinking their boyfriends would give the affirmative response.

One in 10 of women thought their men would try to wriggle out of the situation by attempting to change the subject, and 18 per cent of men said they would probably throw up on the spot. I wonder how many of them would claim that to be a romantic gesture.