According to a German study, men's perceptions of themselves influence everything from the beer they drink to what television programmes they watch.

They can be classified into four broad personality types - traditionalists, androgynous, new men and softies - that make them easier targets for marketing, according to the study.

It says traditionalists see themselves as decision makers and heads of the household. Softies identified themselves as sensitive and modest and tended to be less financially successful. New men were marked by a balance between traditionally feminine and masculine characteristics and were particularly concerned about their image. Men who were still developing their roles as men were categorised as androgynous.

The authors said traditionalists and new men were the most attractive target groups because they tend to be the highest earners and are avid consumers of mass media.