A woman may not always gets what she wants... but she may stand more chance if she waits until 6 pm to ask for it. This is the time when a man is likely to grant a loved one’s wishes, according to a poll.

一个女人也许不是总能得到她想要的，但是如果她等到下午六点再提出要求，那么她成功的可能性会更大。根据一项调查，在下午六点男人很可能会满足爱人的心愿。

Anything from taking out the rubbish to a romantic weekend away is likely to be looked on more favourably¹ if broached²（提出，钻孔） at the end of the working day.

Henpecked（惧内的） husbands should, however, steer³ clear of（绕开，避开） having a row mid-afternoon. That’s because 3 pm is the best time for the fairer sex to win an argument, the poll of more than 1,000 men and women found.

And when it comes to asking for a pay rise or promotion⁴, a woman would do best not to pounce⁵ on the boss when he or she arrives for work in the morning, but to wait until 1 pm.

This is the time that managers are likely to be most receptive to employees’ demands, according to the poll carried out for pharmaceuticals⁶（药物） giant and contraceptives（避孕药） manufacturer Bayer Schering Pharma.

Women, however, will be glad to know that they are not the only sex affected⁷ by ‘mood swings’, with the male mindset（心态，倾向） also changing over the course of the day.

Some 86 per cent of the 1,019 men and women polled said they were aware of regular peaks and troughs in their mood. But, perhaps not surprisingly, less than half of these had even thought of capitalising on the phenomenon.

The findings suggest that by being more in touch with biorhythms, or the body’s natural rhythms, we could get what we want more often.

Mood can be affected by hormones⁸, including those in contraceptives as well as stress, food and alcohol.

Commenting alongside Bayer’s poll, Evie Bentley, a psychotherapist with a special interest in biorhythms, said: ‘Each biorhythm cycle is regulated by the brain, which controls what hormones and how much of each are produced in order to balance bodily functions.

‘A great deal of how a person feels physically⁹, intellectually, and emotionally, is caused by their biorhythms.

‘For example, the hormones in our bodies can affect our moods. It is important to choose the right contraceptive option for you to ensure you are in tune¹⁰ with（一致，协调） yourself, to complement¹¹ your natural rhythms.’