Conducted by Professor Gte Nyman, head of the Psychology department at the University of Helsinki, the study was carried out as part of a joint research project with Finnish paper producer M-real.

Nyman said that what readers love about a magazine is that it is a physical product.

"Some magazines are a badge of quality, but publishers never seem to talk about this," said Nyman.

The research was prompted by Nyman's belief that magazines might be under attack from new media, but he said he now realises that the physical existence of a magazine is its greatest asset.

Tests were conducted using qualities such as matt and silk papers, which were found to be associated with culture and creativity.