The Science of Gifting, What to Give and Not to Give

It is the season of giving. Christmas means exchanging gifts with near and dear ones and to add a little more depth to this tradition, researchers are delving into the hows and whys of our gifting habits.

Researchers are looking into what goes into gifting and receiving them. Why people choose a particular gift, what do the receivers do with the gifts and how the process impacts relationships

Researchers Andong Cheng, Meg Meloy, and Evan Polman surveyed 7,466 Black Friday shoppers in 2013. According to the survey, 39 percent of the gifts chosen were for people whom the participants categorized as picky

The survey showed that picking such gifts was not welcome and people spent less time and energy in choosing gifts for picky people and made do with generic ideas like gift vouchers or coupons.

But picky people are also the ones who are more likely to get the gifts they specifically ask for or hint at as opposed to people who are not so choosy.

So how are gift cards or vouchers seen by the receivers? Researchers say generally they are welcome as they give flexibility of purchase of gifts of one's choice and avoid the impersonal aspect of cash.

Lead researcher Chelsea Helion says, "While gift cards technically could be used to buy mundane things like textbooks or paper towels, we find that this feels like a misuse of the card. When paying with a gift card, people forgo buying everyday items in favor of buying indulgent items."

The research team found that gift cards more often led to buying of  luxury items. " When individuals are given a gift card instead of cash, they feel a justification to buy something that's out-of-the-ordinary, " the researchers found.

Another research into gift buying habits says that people generally buy gifts  that are personalised to the recipient but not what the person would particularly like for themselves.

 "Givers tend to focus on what recipients are like rather than what they would like. This can lead them to gravitate toward gifts that are personalized but not very versatile," said lead researcher of the study, Mary Steffel.

The research advises that gift givers should focus on what a person generally likes, giving it a multiple variant factor rather than on the unique traits of the receiver.

Instead of scrambling for the top 10 lists of the gifts for the season, the researchers found that gifting of an experience was best received by the participants.

An experiential gift evokes emotions, which are long lasting. "Giving experiential gifts is thus identified as a highly effective form of prosocial spending, and can have a greater impact on improving the relationship between the giver and receiver, " say the experts.

"The Psychology of Gift Giving and Receiving"  symposia will take place during the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention in Long Beach, California in February.