London, May 8 (IANS): If you thought men are more likely to accept a sexual invitation from a stranger than women are, you are probably wrong.

A team of German researchers has revealed that the rates of interest in casual sex are exactly the same for men and women.

For the study, the researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz took 60 men and women into a lab under the guise of testing for an online dating site.

They were shown pictures of opposite sex and told that these men or women had seen his or her picture and were either interested in a date or sex.

Some of the subjects were explicitly told that the people in the photos wanted to have sex with them.

The team left them alone to decide which potential suitors they would date or sleep with, Huffington Post reported.

If subjects were interested in sex with any of the people in the photos who also expressed that desire toward them, a date would be arranged, researchers told the participants.

The team also told the participants here that they would film the first 30 minutes of the date to ensure their safety.

"The findings show that when societal judgement and safety risks are removed, women are more likely to accept sex propositions from strangers," the authors concluded.