Science of Good Gifts | Good Gift Ideas

What does the science of good gifts tells us? Giving good gifts can be challenging. In this video, I share with you 5 science based tips on how to give good gifts. This is work that has been done by many researchers, including myself, and speaks to the most important ways that science informs the practice of good gift giving. Good Gift Ideas

Gifts can serve so many important roles. They let us show we care about someone, they allow us to bring joy to other people’s lives, and they allow us to fulfill important societal obligations that allow for a cohesive community and culture. And yet, I’m sure we can all think of times that gifts failed to do any of those things.

Welcome to Data Demystified, I’m Jeff Galak and in this video I’m going to do something a bit different. I typically talk about how to build your intuition for all things data, but with the holiday season upon us, I thought I’d try something else. In this video I’m going to discuss what science, some of which I myself have contributed to, says about giving good gifts. In particular, I’m going to go through the top five evidence based findings in the scientific literature on gift giving that I think will help make you a better gift giver. I’ll make sure to put links to the scientific papers below and, since some of this research was done by me, I’m more than happy to answer any question you might have. Just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

0:00 Introduction
0:54#5: FOCUS ON SOMETHING USEFUL, NOT SOMETHING FLASHY
1:53 #4: SKIP THE PRICEY GIFTS
3:05 #3: GIVE EXPERIENCES, NOT STUFF
4:26 #2: GIVE WHEN IT'S LEAST EXPECTED
5:52 #1: GIVE GIFTS THAT ARE WANTED

References:
#5: FOCUS ON SOMETHING USEFUL, NOT SOMETHING FLASHY
Williams, E., & Rosenzweig, E. (2017). Sometimes it’s okay to give a blender: giver and recipient preferences for hedonic and utilitarian gifts. ACR North American Advances.

#4: SKIP THE PRICEY GIFTS
Flynn, F. J., & Adams, G. S. (2009). Money can’t buy love: Asymmetric beliefs about gift price and feelings of appreciation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 404–409.

#3: GIVE EXPERIENCES, NOT STUFF
Goodman, J. (2014). Giving happiness: Do experiential gifts lead to more happiness?. ACR North American Advances.

#2: GIVE WHEN IT'S LEAST EXPECTED
Givi, J. & Galak, J. (2020). Gift recipients’ happiness with obligatory and non-obligatory gifts: An expectation-based framework. Manuscript in preparation

#1: GIVE GIFTS THAT ARE WANTED
Gino, F., & Flynn, F. J. (2011). Give them what they want: The benefits of explicitness in gift exchange. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 915–922.

GIANT SHOUT OUT TO Bolton G FOR BECOMING A RECURRING PATRON OF THIS CHANNEL!!

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[cristiefieldsa]

I think it's nuts when people have finished their next year's Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving. People can grow and have different desires or needs within a year and might not need whatever is chosen for them. It shows the giver might have zero ideas on the recipient's personality or lifestyle. These are all good tips I wish more people would implement!

[wakingcharade]

my exception is that rule 1 (ask!) trumps rule 3 (experiences) - often because rule 3 often violates rule 5 (utilitarianism) - this might be very different for different situations - buying for people with a lot of their own disposable income or 'the one who has everything' vs getting something for someone when getting that thing as a gift is the only way they could afford it. i'd go for that over an experience. Obviously sometimes what someone really wants is in fact an experience, and I don't want to knock the added gift of time with loved ones - but I'd rather someone buy me a kitchen thing I need and then spend the day with me at the park rather than spend that money on a show or something, especially if the experience isn't something I would otherwise have chosen to do.