Lovers likelier to text 'I love you' than write a love letter

London - Convenience is the name of the game - even if it's a game of love.

Research has shown that people are likelier to say 'I love you' on text or Facebook than writing a love letter.

Only nine per cent of those surveyed had ever sent a letter - and most of those were over 50 - while more than two-thirds prefer to say "I love you" by text.

24 per cent would rather send an email to express their feelings, while 14 per cent said they would post a message on their lover's Facebook wall.

Of the 3,000 adults questioned, more than a fifth said they had enjoyed steamy Skype sessions and 21 per cent had had phone sex.

"A lot of people feel they don't need to go through the 'courtship' stage any more. They want an instant relationship with instant physical contact, they feel they've not got enough time to romance their partner," the Daily Express quoted relationship expert Jo Barnett as saying.

"But they underestimate how important this is. Making the effort to make someone feel loved is a really important part of a relationship."

25 percent said that if they were to write a love letter, they would not write something original, instead scouring the internet in search of inspiration.