The Psychology In Holiday Gift-Giving
A framework for understanding how people go about making simple errors with their holiday gift-giving, was recently detailed in the December issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science .
The researchers discussed the common mistake that most people make when they go about choosing their holiday gifts and because of these simple mistakes, the gift-givers often overestimate how pleased the recipients are going to be with the gift that they have selected.
One of the common mistakes that is made is that the gift-giver spends too much attention focusing on the moment when the recipient opens the gift, because they want to see the surprised reaction on their friend or loved ones face etc. Most gift-givers are looking for the recipients to be dazzled by the expense of the gift or by the gift-giver's understanding of the person which is displayed in them selecting a unique item that they might like.
Recipients are different in that they don't just want to have a 'wow' experience when they open their gift, but they typically will value gifts that they can use throughout the entire time that they will be the owner of it.
Gift-givers very commonly like to give material things, but many recipients would prefer a gift that was an experience rather than a cool trinket or trendy gadget.
Gift-recipients were shown to value experience-related gifts like tickets to a play or show, or a gift-certificate to a spa or favorite restaurant.
Gift-givers also prefer to give a gift that can be immediately enjoyed, whereas recipients prefer to receive gifts that will in a way unfold over time. Take flowers for example, many people will prefer to choose the bouquets that are already in full bloom because they look more dramatic and beautiful than the unopened buds. But offering a bouquet of budding flowers is going to be a better option for recipients, because then they can experience the gift for much longer and get to enjoy it more.
Recipients can't always tell how much time has gone into selecting a gift, and so gift-givers can sometimes set their expectations too high when they are assuming that the person will know how much time they put in to selecting the perfect item.
And recipients also aren't seen to generally judge the thoughtfulness of a gift, according to its price.
When it comes to gift cards, gift-givers will also prefer to opt for cards from a store where they know their friend or loved one prefers to shop at, but recipients more often prefer general gift-certificate options (like VISA gift cards) so that they can spend it anywhere that they want.
In other words, when it comes to choosing gifts: don't spend too much time thinking about it, give an experience rather than a trinket, give a gift they can enjoy over time rather than one that gets used right away, and opt for general gift certificates over specific ones so that the recipient has more of a choice in where they want to go.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/201612/the-biggest-mistake-people-make-in-choosing-gifts
Great article!
As a "gift-giver" I have switched to giving consumable type gifts, usually food, as that is what I want in return. I have no need for more clutter or the awkward feelings about throwing away something I never wanted in the first place, but received as a gift.
I try to get food items that are more of a "treat" and something that I think the person would enjoy but not likely buy themselves because it is superfluous.
Thanks
As a gift-giver, I simply want the gift to be used. And as a gift-receiver, I hope for something I can use. In both situations, I want love to be shared.
Unused things get hidden and become forgotten.
Just checked https://steemit.com/created/science and cannot see your this post. FYI, there's a bug with using 5 tags which I confirmed still not fix.
Only the first tag works when 5 tags are used. I suggest you drop one tag . :-)
woah! didn't know that! crazy thanks for letting me know
you're welcome. I try to remember to checked the no. of tags used when I read the post of people I follow. :-)
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