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It's a theory that many women have held for years.

And now a study has revealed men really are the more stupid sex.

Analysis of the Darwin Awards - an annual review of the most foolish ways people have died - has found almost 90 per cent of the accolades were 'won' by males.

Worthy candidates include a terrorist who opened his own letter bomb, and a man who attempted to travel by hitching a shopping trolley to a train. 

What would Darwin say? A 20-year analysis of the Darwin Awards - an annual review of the most foolish ways people have died - has found almost 90 per cent of the accolades were 'won' by males

It is named after Charles Darwin, the scientist famous for the theory of evolution. 

Nominees have to improve the gene pool by eliminating themselves from the human race using foolish methods.

Worthy candidates have included a terrorist who unthinkingly opened his own letter bomb on its return after he posted it with insufficient stamps.

Other examples include the man who shot himself in the head with a 'spy pen' weapon to show his friend it was real, and the thief attempting to purloin a steel cable from a lift shaft - and unbolted it while standing in the lift which then plummeted to the ground, killing him.

Of 332 independently verified nominations, 14 were ruled out of the analysis because they were shared by male and females - usually adventurous couples in compromising positions.

Of the 318 valid cases remaining, 282 (88.7 per cent) were awarded to males and just 36 to females, a gender difference entirely consistent with male idiot theory (MIT) that states men are idiots and idiots do stupid things.

The award is named after Charles Darwin (left) due to his theory of evolution. Nominees have to improve the gene pool by eliminating themselves from the human race using foolish methods. Examples include the man who shot himself in the head with a 'spy pen' weapon to show his friend it was real (stock picture right)

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the researchers said it is puzzling men are willing to take such unnecessary risks - simply as a rite of passage, in pursuit of male social esteem or solely in exchange for 'bragging rights'.

Dr Dennis Lendrem, of the University of Newcastle, said: 'Idiotic risks are defined as senseless risks, where the apparent payoff is negligible or non existent, and the outcome is often extremely negative and often final.

'According to 'male idiot theory' (MIT) many of the differences in risk seeking behaviour, emergency department admissions, and mortality may be explained by the observation that men are idiots and idiots do stupid things.

'There are anecdotal data supporting MIT, but to date there has been no systematic analysis of sex differences in idiotic risk taking behaviour.'

He said an honourable mention must go to the man who slipped when using a belt sander as an auto erotic device and lost a testicle.

Repairing his scrotum with a staple gun, he was able to salvage his remaining testicle thus failing to eliminate himself completely from the gene pool, so he did not qualify for an award and was eliminated from the analysis.

The researchers admitted the study has limitations because women may be more likely to nominate men for a Darwin Award, or the sex difference may reflect differences in alcohol use between men and women.

But Dr Lendrem said: 'Despite these limitations there can be little doubt Darwin Award winners seem to make little or no real assessment of the risk or attempt at risk management. They just do it anyway. In some cases, the intelligence of the award winner may be questioned.

'For example, the office workers watching a construction worker demolishing a car park in the adjacent lot must have wondered about the man's intelligence.

'After two days of office speculation - how does he plan to remove the final support to crash the car park down safely? - they discovered, on the third day, that he didn't have a plan. The concrete platform collapsed, crushing him to death and flattening his mini-excavator.'

He said anecdotal data support the hypothesis alcohol makes men feel 'bulletproof' after a few drinks, and it would be naïve to rule this out.

Dr Lendrem Added: 'For example, the three men who played a variation on Russian roulette alternately taking shots of alcohol and then stamping on an unexploded Cambodian land mine. (Spoiler alert: the mine eventually exploded, demolishing the bar and killing all three men.)'

The researchers believe MIT deserves further investigation, and, 'with the festive season upon us, we intend to follow up with observational field studies and an experimental study - males and females, with and without alcohol - in a semi-naturalistic Christmas party setting.'