A firm handshake is an important attribute if you are looking to settle down - as it turns women are more likely to marry men with a strong handshake, according to new research.

Researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the Columbia Ageing Centre discovered the link between a firm grip and a higher likelihood of marriage after studying 5,000 adults from the Norwegian City of Tromso.

According to the researchers, males with a stronger grip were more likely to be married compared to their flimsy-handed counterparts.

However, the same was not true for women.

The study, published in the journal SSM-Population Health, analysed the grip strength of two groups of people, born between 1923-1935 and 1936-1948 and aged 59 to 71.

Each participant’s grip strength was assessed using a vigorimeter - a device that asks participants to squeeze a rubber balloon and compared to the others in the group.

According to the findings, women consider grip strength a marital benefit - as researchers found unmarried men were more likely to have low grip strength.

Vegard Skirbekk, a professor at the Columbia Ageing Centre and an author of the study said: “Our results hint that women may be favouring partners who signal strength and vigour when they marry.

“If longer-lived women marry healthier men, then both may avoid or defer the role of caregiver, while less healthy men remain unmarried and must look elsewhere for assistance.”

In addition to a higher likelihood of tying the knot, a strong grip is an indicator of a person's capacity to be socially active and healthy - and of heart health.

According to Harvard University Medical School, grip strength is a useful tool in determining an individual’s risk of heart attack or stroke as it suggests weaker muscle strength.

The method is so helpful that it is a “better predictor of death or cardiovascular disease than blood pressure.”

And researchers at the University of Manchester have found that a strong grip is often a sign of better problem-solving skills, memory, and fast reaction times.

So the next time you consider a potential suitor, don’t forget to shake their hand.