It turns out that we Brits are a somewhat cynical bunch! We asked 1500 women how they would react to receiving a spontaneous gift, and, three quarters of them said they'd see it as a tell-tale sign that their man had done something wrong!
Apparently, chocolates can indicate a man has lied and a candlelit dinner means they need to break some bad news. 90% of women said if they received jewellery, they would panic.
It seems that the more expensive the gift, the more likely a women is to get suspicious.
However, it seems these fears don't come unfounded. More than a quarter of women said that their partner had given them a gift to get them out of trouble in the past. And one-in- three said they had been given a gift as an apology.
We also surveyed 1,500 men to see if they really did have an ulterior motive when they gave a gift. Nearly half said that they had stopped themselves treating their partner in the past because they worried their wife or girlfriend would get paranoid they had been up to no good.
On average men treated their partners to three surprise gifts every year, but a quarter of men say they never bought unexpected gifts for their other half.
So, how CAN you treat a loved one without being accused of being up to something? Our survey showed that the gifts least likely to spark suspicion were cakes, a takeaway or a bottle of wine. Sometimes it seems, the little things really do go a long way.
Graeme Nash, head of customer marketing here at Greggs, said:
''You might have the best intentions, but buying your partner a surprise gift can get you in hot water. Even the romantics amongst us are being put off; with half of all men admitting to not buying a gift for fear our generosity would be misunderstood.
And it seems that the more indulgent the gift, the greater the suspicion. The common misconception is that only cheats treat their partners with expensive gifts, so if you want to sweet talk your partner the best way to do it, is with a sweet treat."
Food psychologist Dr Christy Fergusson believes people view cakes as an innocent treat to be shared. She explains:
"It's quite worrying that we're so suspicious and paranoid. Maybe if we all treated our partners more often we'd be more likely to accept the sentiment rather than start worrying.
One of the reasons people enjoy receiving cake is because we often associate cake with important and celebratory occasions, such as birthdays and Christmas.
"The types of gifts you buy can say a lot about the way you are feeling and that can give the game away. Presents you can share together will leave your partner feeling much more loved and less suspicious. Cakes also take us back to our childhood. There is nothing wrong with the occasional treat as long as you're following a well-balanced diet."