Are you one of those people who love giving a gift as much as receiving them? Whether it's Valentine's Day , Mother's Day , Father's Day or even Christmas , there are plenty of gifting occasions throughout the year. Engaging in acts of generosity is scientifically proven to make us happier. Think about it. Would you feel better buying a whole cake and devouring it alone or sharing it with others?
Based on the anecdotal evidence it would appear that sharing is in fact caring and giving gifts can make us happier. But what exactly is the science behind generosity? We live together, eat together and work together. Part of this sociality is the act of taking care of each other. These are the core obsessions that drive our newsroom—defining topics of seismic importance to the global economy.
Our emails are made to shine in your inbox, with something fresh every morning, afternoon, and weekend. It would be nice to believe that gifts are genuine tokens of affection, given without any expectation of recompense. Dimitri Mortelmans, sociology professor at Antwerp University in Belgium, explains that there is far more to gifting than meets the eye.
Far from being voluntary, the 20th century French sociologist Marcel Mauss argues that presents are tied up with strict obligations. Mortelmans explains that we only give presents to those we wish to have a relationship with not simply romantic relationships, but any kind. A gift is then symbolic of the perceived value of that relationship and, to prevent any strain or awkwardness, gifts must be repaid in some way.
This means that giving a gift inevitably creates debt. Each person must repay the gift in a roughly equal way; to give too little shows that you undervalue the relationship, but to give too much can cause embarrassment. We see such attitudes among families and friends, where each person gives out presents worth roughly the same price.
One study found that the more expensive a gift, the more givers expected recipients to appreciate it. Galak, who studies consumer behaviour and decision making, acknowledges that you may have to hit a certain price threshold due to tradition or expectations.
The gift itself is what matters most. Galak says the trick for giving a great gift is to think past the fleeting moment of actually handing it over, a concept he and colleagues Julian Givi and Elanor Williams found to be a common theme in studies on gift giving, including a paper they authored.
In other words, it might not be exciting to watch a friend or family member open the gift of a movie-streaming subscription, so you might be less likely to give one. Galak also suggests not getting hung up on giving the most unique gift out there. Sometimes something that many people desire or many others have can be exactly what someone wants. But this hyper-specificity leads us to ignore other aspects of their wants and needs, which may make us buy them an inferior gift.
We also tend to want to buy different gifts for multiple people , even if they might all be happier with the same thing — and might never compare gifts at all. Rather than using your own preferences to buy a gift, focus on shared interests first and choose something you both would enjoy Credit: Getty Images.
In order to feel like a good gift giver, people erroneously feel like they need to diversify the gifts, even at the cost of giving the best present, according to Galak. So those trainers of yours that your friend loves?
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