Australian men prefer food over sex, according to a nationwide survey for Magnum ice cream.

Ten thousand people across the country were asked to rank which everyday experiences give them the most pleasure.

Men rated taste sensations as their top pleasure trigger, with physical arousal (including sex) coming in fourth.

The results were reached through a "pleasure quotient test'', which uses a scale to determine the frequency and intensity to which individuals are stimulated by certain triggers.

The scale found men gained more pleasure from food, and life in general, more than their female counterparts.