Author: April Dykman / Source: Get Rich Slowly
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If you’re panicked because you still haven’t thought of the perfect gift for the people on your Nice List, you’ll be relieved to know you don’t need to spend as much time as you might think looking for something thoughtful.
You also don’t need to run up your credit card bill.Why? Because neither of these things is likely to be appreciated by the gift getter.
In fact, a 2008 study from Stanford University researchers found that spending a lot of time and money to select a gift doesn’t make a bit of difference to the recipient. According to Francis J. Flynn, an organizational psychologist at Stanford, the price of a gift is more important to the giver than the getter. (Plus, most recipients actually prefer cash or something from a gift registry, such as their Amazon wish list.)
Price Matters More to the Giver
Flynn says that people recall the most expensive gifts they’ve given, but price didn’t play much of a role when it came to recalling gifts received. The givers of expensive gifts also expected more appreciation.
In one experiment, for instance, people were asked to imagine giving or getting a graduation gift. Those who gave an iPod had higher expectations than those who gave a single compact disc. [This study is from 2008, remember.] The recipients were equally grateful for either gift.
Dr. Flynn and his colleague, Gabrielle Adams, believe this is because the givers are more focused on their shopping experience, the “egocentric bias” of picking something more expensive over less expensive options or taking a long time to find the right gift.
Here’s the thing: Recipients don’t know how long you shopped or that that you considered less-expensive options. In certain cases, your idea of the perfect gift may actually strike them the other person as just plain wrong, especially if their frame of reference includes options that you ignored (or didn’t know about), such as items from a wish list.
The Pros and Cons of Wish Lists
Wish lists are tricky. They’re a point of contention for many. Some love them because they know their gift will be appreciated and used. Some find them impersonal…
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