We blame their pent-up aggression on an overdose of testosterone and now it would seem the male sex drive is being fingered as the main reason for the world's conflict.

In fact, it's been dubbed the "male warrior" instinct and it's meant to be what makes men view outsiders as a threat. The theory goes that while such an instinct might have worked to protect their property and improve their social status in times gone by, the result today is devastating and often senseless war.

The study, which was published recently in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, also shows that women tend towards making friends and solving conflict peacefully.

It also found that men have a stronger tribal instinct than women, tending to bond closely with those from their group, particularly in times of conflict.

Unfortunately, this warrior instinct has proven destructive in modern times, often resulting in major wars between countries and even gratuitous violence amongst football fans.

Mark van Vugt who led the study says that a solution to this tendency toward conflict would require a change in mindset, but this will be difficult.

"Our review of the academic literature suggests that the human mind is shaped in a way that tends to perpetuate conflict with 'outsiders'," he told The Telegraph.

The research is strongly linked to evolutionary theory and suggests that not only was violence a way to secure status, but also a way to improve a man's chances of reproducing.