The holiday season is here and, as usual, people are busy shopping to find the best gifts they can for their loved ones. However, no matter how much people want to please the people they love, the fact remains that there is a possibility they might not really like what you gave them. Why does it happen? Experts say that there is a psychology in giving the perfect gift.
esearchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Indiana University conducted a study on the science of gift-giving. In that study, they explored the thought process when you choose a gift and the value and pleasure the receiver of the gift will experience when they get the gift.
According to the researchers, the primary reason people give gifts is to make people they love happy, which further strengthens the relationship. However, the reality is that most people were not able to meet these goals in gift-giving.
In order to solve this problem, the researchers presented what's really going on inside the mind of the giver and the receiver.
When you, the receiver, chooses a gift, you base it on your objective which is to show the person how thoughtful you are for choosing such a gift. Another factor that affects how you choose the gift is the limited timeframe you have in choosing it.
On the other hand, the receiver of your gift is more utilitarian in his or her judgment because they are thinking more of ownership, something they can have with them for a long time. In other words, they want gifts they can use and enjoy.
That, then, should be the clue how people choose gifts - based on how valuable they will be to the receiver while he owns the gift you have given him or her. So forget about those wind chimes or the antique clock you found. If your friend likes a clean house or a likes to run, then he or she might appreciate that vacuum cleaner you rejected earlier or the running shoes you think are just so-so.
