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Peter Spelton, who runs datingdoctor.co.uk said women particularly "have always judged a potential partner by first appearances". He added: "She's after someone who can care for children, so she needs someone who is capable and able to create income for the family.
"A drawer full of holey underwear suggests he doesn't look after himself, so he won't be able to look after her.
"It's much the same with a man - a woman who looks after herself and looks good will turn you on more than a woman who doesn't."
But he also cautioned against entirely superficial first impressions of a new girlfriend or boyfriend.
Mr Spelton said: "Things like a CD or DVD collection would indicate shared interests. These are personal items where you have made a choice to buy."
But he insisted: "You really need to have an interest in the person and how they come across and how exciting and passionate they are about the things they do, as well as where they're going in life.
"You may share a future together, so you need to understand where they are going.
"But asking them is better - talking about what kind of music and films they like, rather than looking at their collections, is a much better indicator."
Clare Thommen, a director of the upmarket lingerie boutique Boudiche in Edinburgh's Frederick Street, said she could only speak for women's views.
She said: "You can tell quite a lot about a person from their underwear - it really does say a lot about them.
"Tatty underwear sends out the message that this person doesn't take a huge amount of pride in their appearance or value themselves very much.
"It's often things you don't see which are important - the things underneath rather than the latest designer jacket or handbag.
"Women who buy from us appreciate the fit and feel good themselves - it's not about buying underwear to dress up for a man, it's about pride in themselves, even if no-one else is going to see it."
Clinical psychologist and author Oliver James said: "These are reasonable things to look at in trying to match your background to another person's, since it's harder now to tell where people come from and where they're going.
"You could argue that these are indicators of compatibility - shared taste is very important."
But Mr James added: "Alternatively, you could argue whether these things are actually that important. People looking for material, physical evidence of suitability could be deceived into looking at these kinds of things instead of personality and physical traits.
"It could be said they are being distracted from what is really important."
And Mr James warned: "In the early stages of a relationship, it is extremely difficult to predict if someone is right for you. You're not going to be able to do it just by looking in their underwear drawer."
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