We all enjoy a discreet stare at someone good-looking.

But new research reveals that instinct plays out very differently depending on whether you’re a man or a woman.

Scientists used eye-tracking technology to show that women’s eyes are drawn to attractive faces regardless of gender and their sexual orientation.

Men, meanwhile, only linger on the faces of people they fancy.

Lead author Tom Roth, from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, said: ‘It seems that for women, an attractive face is simply pleasant to look at, regardless of gender, while for men, it is really only their sexual preference that holds their eye.

‘It is a reminder that men and women may be, quite literally, looking at the concept of attractiveness differently.’

For their study, the team tested 102 members of the public using eye-tracking cameras to record exactly where people looked and for how long as they viewed side-by-side pairs of faces.

The faces included ones that were conventionally attractive, ones that were less so, and a mixture of men and women.

Analysis, published in the Elsevier journal Evolution and Human Behavior, revealed the very first glance showed no bias either way for anyone.

But once people had a moment to properly look, a clear split emerged.

Women spent longer looking at attractive faces of both men and women, showing no preference for one gender over the other.

Men, by contrast, only spent longer looking at attractive faces that matched their sexual preference, with no extra interest shown in attractive faces of the gender they weren't attracted to. Relationship status made no difference to either pattern.

The researchers believe women may pay attention to attractive people of both sexes because beauty serves multiple purposes, helping them assess potential partners but also compare themselves with other attractive women.

Men, meanwhile, were far more likely to reserve that extra attention for attractive members of their preferred sex.

The study also found no evidence that those in committed relationships paid less attention to attractive potential partners than singles.

This suggests even long-term love doesn't completely switch off our interest in good-looking people.