In a report on their findings, researchers said that moving into a new environment probably clutters the brain's working memory, so that it cannot recall the original reason for entering a room.

"It is clearly an unconscious influence, as no one would claim name-letter overlap as a reason for making these important life choices," Bargh wrote of the findings.

A reason for the difference might be due to the different way oestrogen is absorbed, they added. Further research was needed to confirm the findings, they said.