Sending flowers, breakfast in bed and a candlelit dinner also feature on the list of time-honoured ways lovers show their adoration.
In this age of text and emails, writing an old-fashioned love letter is still stamped and posted by 20 per cent of Britons in love.
Almost six in 10 people admit they are bewildered by romance in a modern world of emails, texts and WhatsApp.
As a result, love story publishers Mills & Boon investigated and have produced a guide to romance in the “digital age”.
“Today’s relationship rules are very different and finding the perfect partner, living with them and staying together is a more complex achievement than ever before,” the guide says.
The definition of romance and what being romantic means is no longer clear.
More than half (59 per cent) of those polled said they were bewildered by what it means to be “romantic” in 2018.
Nowhere is that more apparent than across the generations, the survey of 2,000 UK adults revealed.
As many as 93 per cent of those aged 45-plus believe there is still a place for chivalry, but 37 per cent of 18–24 year olds say traditionally chivalrous acts such as opening a door for a lady do not have a place in the modern world.
Ordering for someone else at a restaurant taking off a hat when entering a room and standing at a table when your partner arrives and leaves are all considered outdated now.
Instead of writing an old-fashioned love letter, the Mills & Boon guide urges readers to ‘use emojis wisely’ and tidy the room before FaceTiming.
They also warn about email, saying: “There’s nothing, nothing, worse than an Outlook calendar invite to your date.”
No wonder people struggle though – more than half say they communicate most with their partner digitally rather than in person.
More than half (52 per cent) communicate most with their partner digitally on social media, text, WhatsApp, video chat and even emojis, compared to 46 per cent who still rely on a personal conversation.
However computer-orientated the world gets though, it seems there’s always room for the romance of holding hands, having a cuddle and buying a surprise gift.
At the other end of the scale, mobile phone addiction and having the phone at the dinner table is the “top passion killer”.
Lisa Milton, executive publisher of Mills And Boon, which published the guide to celebrate its re-brand, said: “With so many people either worried or confused about romance in the modern era, it is clear they need a little gentle help with affairs of the heart.
“We have seen how notions of romance have changed in a digital era but also how many age-old gestures remain the epitome of romance.”
