What Do Men Really Want for Valentine’s Day (And Other Statistics)?

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it is usually thought to be a commercialized holiday that panders to women. Why, interestingly enough, only 37 percent of men and about 13 percent of women say their significant other’s would be heartbroken if they forgot the holiday. We’ve got a few gift ideas that will spare you the doghouse and get showered in kisses instead—plus a few other interesting facts about the day to titillate your mind.

February 14. The day itself is rather controversial because it is so closely associated with the commercialism side of the day. However, 52 percent of women and 16 percent of men admit to feeling a bit jealous of others when they see them being on the receiving end of some kind of romantic gesture. Many people associate the day with love, but if you plan on popping the question on this particular day as the ultimate romantic gesture, you may want to rethink it because the vast majority (63 percent of women and 69 percent of men) say it’s just a cliché move.

The Valentine’s Date. When you ask men and women what the perfect Valentine’s Day date would be, it would be very different, but not as different as you may think. Most people (50 percent of men and 60 percent of women) believe a romantic weekend is the best way to celebrate if you’ve got the money for it. However, if you don’t you could always try some less expensive routes to explore. For example, 32 percent of men say they’d be quite content spending the day fooling around, whereas 57 percent of women would like a really good rub down. Huh, maybe they aren’t so different after all.

The Gift. Typically when we think about Valentine’s Day, we associate it with chocolates in heart shaped boxes, a cute little stuffed animal, and roses of various amounts. However, it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have be that simple. 45 percent of guys think that you can tell your lady love how much you love her with a bouquet of roses, but only 4 percent of the ladies would agree. Instead, 33 percent of women want some kind of jewelry while 40 percent would just like to have a spa day. However, when it comes to men? It shouldn’t be surprising that 70 percent just want a day of sex.

So you can safely make the assumption that men aren’t that interested in the holiday. Sure, you may really want to get him that big screen TV (which he would probably love regardless) or that new power tool that he’s been eyeing, but if you’re tight on cash, you don’t have to do anything but wrap yourself in a big red bow, give him that come hither look, and present yourself to him ready and raring to go. That may sound cliché, but men are simple creatures who usually don’t want much. They just want to spend time wrapped up in your arms—or legs.