SINGAPORE - "I like you, but only as a friend," may be what women prefer to hear when it comes to being rejected by the object of their affection.

According to a survey by LoveAgain.sg, a company specialising in "heartbreak therapy", 69 per cent of women say they prefer to be told they are regarded as just a friend and nothing more.

This is in contrast to 65 per cent of men, who say they prefer to be told "no" straight in the face, when it comes to being rejected by an object of their affection.

The survey of 90 participants (60 per cent female, 40 per cent male), also found that when rejecting another party, 38 per cent will choose to ignore the other's advances, while 32 per cent will give the excuse of "being busy".

Results segregated by age showed that while younger respondents below the age of 33 prefer to ignore unwanted advances or give excuses of being busy, older respondents prefer claiming that they are dating someone else, or offer to introduce other singles instead.

70 per cent of respondents also said they have experienced some form of harassment in their lives from admirers, ex-lovers or former friends.

56 per cent defined harassment as anything more than three but less than 15 unsolicited text messages or calls in a day, while anything above 15 is considered threatening.

Lydia Gan, co-founder of LoveAgain.sg said, "Expectation in social graces has evolved with times. As we are bombarded with lots of information daily, threshold for unwanted attention has lowered. What used to be regarded as persistence in expressing one's love and affection for another is now more commonly deemed as harassment."

The survey also found that 68 per cent would be willing to attend coaching sessions to sharpen their dating and social skills.