Does searching for gifts stress you out?

Gifting reveals how people think about others, what they value and enjoy, and how they maintain relationships. More often than not though people are confused about what to gift. As the season of gifting ensues, let’s make that task a little easy…
Research says if you concentrate on the emotion of giving rather than the choice of gift, it soothes the nerves and clears your mind.Because when you decide to give somebody a gift, it means you are going to be thinking about them. When you give a gift, it makes you feel generous and in control. It’s also good for your self-esteem and improves your relationship with the receiver as you get to know them better, says a latest research by Dr Ellen J Langer, professor of psychology, Harvard University.
Picking out a gift can be easy or difficult, depending on the effort and research you are willing to do, says Devin A Byrd, PhD, associate professor and chair of the department of behavioural sciences at South University, Virginia, US. “There is an emotional lift when searching for the gift. There is the whole act – determining what needs to be given and making sure it fits with the person.”
Gifting is also an act of altruism – giving without expecting anything in return improves our psychological health. The only problem is that most people have a hard time understanding each other’s mindsets.
Giving = Happiness
- Margaret Rucker, a consumer psychologist at the University of California, says men are typically more price conscious and practical when it comes to the gifts they give and get, while women tend to be more concerned about giving and receiving gifts with emotional significance.
- For givers, the more they spent, the greater they expected appreciation by the recipient.
- But when the recipients were asked how much they actually appreciated their gifts, price had no influence on how much they liked them.
Gifting Basics
- Giving and receiving gifts is one of the most pleasurable pursuits connected with any special occasion.
- You are creating happy memories with intelligent gifting.
- For a gift exchange, if you are not familiar with the person’s interests or hobbies, a gift card is fine.
- When shopping for a gift, keep the recipient in mind. Buy a gift that he or she would like, not what you think the person should have.
- Do not buy gifts that are geared towards self-improvement, such as weight-loss videos, exercise programmes, or books on how to improve your public speaking skills.
- Personal gifts such as lingerie should only be given to a woman by her husband, long-term boyfriend, or fiancé.
- Do not spend so much on someone’s gift that you embarrass the person.
How these celebs gifted…
- Before they split, Angelina Jolie gifted her husband Brad Pitt a waterfall in California to celebrate Christmas on his 48th birthday. The couple was planning to build a house above the fall, based on Fallingwater, designed by Pitt's favourite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
- David Beckham to Victoria Beckham: It can be a tough choice deciding between jewellery and a designer handbag, but David Beckham's 2005 Christmas gift to wife Victoria combined the two. He bought her a $100,000 diamond-encrusted handbag!
- Katy Perry to Russell Brand: A ticket to outer space may be the only gift Katy Perry doesn’t regret giving her ex-husband Russell Brand. Reportedly, back in 2010, when the pop star was engaged to the comedian, she bought him a $200,000 ticket on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic mission, for Brand’s 35th birthday.
- Courtney Cox to Jennifer Aniston: Courtney Cox purchased a $12,000 Chanel bicycle for her former co-star and real-life friend Jennifer Aniston.