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They say when it comes to gifts, its the thought that matters.
But what if theres not much else behind it?
Part of her surprise for his special day was a trip to see his favorite football team.
Gift-giving occasions are crucial opportunities to communicate what we appreciate and understand about our partner.
It is an important way to let them know that they are seen and loved, he toldBored Panda.
A good gift requires some kind of sacrifice.
The recipient must know that the gift wasnt easy to obtain, afford, or track down.
Whenever possible, gifts should also be surprising.
Ideally, we would not have to ask our partner for gift ideas.
Instead, we should understand them so well that it becomes clear what would surprise and delight them.
But thats not necessarily the case.
Especially within individualistic societies.
One recentstudyexplored why married couples give each other gifts.
They looked at two things: the divorce rate and how many new relationship opportunities people have.
In the first part of the study, the researchers compared married couples in the United States and Japan.
The U.S. has a higher divorce rate, meaning people are more likely to change partners.
They found that American couples exchanged gifts more often than Japanese couples.
In the second part, the researchers focused on married couples in Japan.
They found that those who had more chances to meet new people were also more likely to give gifts.
We also got in touch withtherapist Susan Pease Gadouaand she also acknowledges the power of gifts.
Bad gifts can end relationships.
The pain of receiving a bad gift is generally greater than the joy of receiving a good gift.
This is a bedrock principle of behavioral science known as loss aversion.
Check out the results:
