Britons find their partners more stressful than their boss, according to a poll.

Some 58 per cent of people said their other half creates stress, compared to just 43 per cent who thought the same of their superior at work.

It seems women find their boyfriends and husbands particularly stressful, with 18 per cent saying they are a big source of stress compared to 12 per cent of men who thought the same of their partners.

The study, part of the Philips Health & Wellbeing Index report on 3,000 people, also found women were twice as concerned about their weight as their earnings.

Some 49 per cent of women said their weight was very important to their health and well-being, compared to 27 per cent who said the same about their salary.

Women were also twice as likely to worry about the effect of obesity on their future health (40 per cent) as the effect of cancer (20 per cent) or high cholesterol (20 per cent).

But, as women get older, weight becomes less of an issue, with 37 per cent of those over 65 saying it was very important compared to 63 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 59 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds.

Just 36 per cent of men thought their weight was very important to their health and well-being while 33 per cent said it had more to do with wages.