Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to realize that when it comes to
Speaker 1: gift giving, it really is the thought that counts. We
Speaker 1: value such thoughtfulness in other people, but we have a
Speaker 1: hard time trusting that people will equally value it in
Speaker 1: our gifts. Recognizing this, though, can make the holidays feel
Speaker 1: far less stressful. The information for today's tip came from
Speaker 1: an interview my producer Lowell Berlante did with doctor Jeff
Speaker 1: Gallick for Bowell's new podcast Prodigy. Doctor Gallick is a
Speaker 1: marketing professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where he studies consumer
Speaker 1: behavior and hosts the YouTube channel Data Demystified. Gifts are
Speaker 1: a huge part of our economy. Billions of dollars are
Speaker 1: spent each year just on Christmas gifts alone, and that's
Speaker 1: partly because the whole concept of gift giving is deeply
Speaker 1: embedded in the human psyche. Gifts are how we tighten relationships.
Speaker 1: They are a physical manifestation of the psychological state of
Speaker 1: caring about another person. Of course, if a gift is
Speaker 1: a physical manifestation of caring, you might think that a
Speaker 1: more expensive gift means you care more, or at least
Speaker 1: that it will be perceived that way. But Dr Galax
Speaker 1: says this is a misperception. There is virtually no evidence
Speaker 1: supporting the claim that a more expensive gift will make
Speaker 1: the recipient happier, and there is a lot of data
Speaker 1: suggesting that what gift recipients care about is the intention
Speaker 1: and thoughtfulness of the giver. In other words, it is
Speaker 1: the thought that counts. On some level. We know this
Speaker 1: when we serve as gift recipients. When we receive gifts,
Speaker 1: we say to ourselves that the gift is a sign
Speaker 1: of the other person's thoughtfulness, and in almost all cases
Speaker 1: that is correct. But once we switch to being gift givers,
Speaker 1: we seem to forget that experience and assume that people
Speaker 1: won't value us if we don't spend X dollars or more.
Speaker 1: It isn't true. Now, you could theoretically give a bad gift,
Speaker 1: but if the gift is given with love and you
Speaker 1: are not passively aggressively trying to tick the other person off,
Speaker 1: it's pretty hard. Once you know that it is the
Speaker 1: thought that counts, you can lean into that reality. Writing
Speaker 1: a card that says something genuine and meaningful will be
Speaker 1: more valuable to most people than a random object ordered online.
Speaker 1: Sentimental gifts are good too. They aren't necessarily valuable from
Speaker 1: a monetary perspective, but they signify something important about the
Speaker 1: relationship that you have with that person. And yes, useful
Speaker 1: gifts are just fine, since it is the thought that counts.
Speaker 1: Flashy and useful things both meet the requirement of you
Speaker 1: thinking about the other person. But the useful stuff, well,
Speaker 1: it will get used. Same thing with pulling something off
Speaker 1: a person's wish list. Sometimes gift givers overthink this and
Speaker 1: think that they can prove their thoughtfulness by going off
Speaker 1: the list. Since any gift shows thoughtfulness, you are perfectly
Speaker 1: fine giving the person something that they specifically stated that
Speaker 1: they want. Here's one last manifestation of the principle that
Speaker 1: it is the thought that counts. Dr Galax research shows
Speaker 1: that non obligatory gifts are the most powerful because they
Speaker 1: show you were thinking of the person at an unexpected time.
Speaker 1: People expect gifts at the holidays. They're still great, of course,
Speaker 1: but a card on a random Tuesday might actually make
Speaker 1: the person happier than an expensive gift for Christmas. Because well,
Speaker 1: you didn't have to have that thought on a random Tuesday,
Speaker 1: but you did. So maybe stash a few gifts away
Speaker 1: for January and February. You'll become known as one of
Speaker 1: the most thoughtful people around. In the meantime, This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast. At iHeart media dot com
Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much. Should look forward to staying in touch.
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