Gift Price and Appreciation Asymmetry
The pattern that givers expect a higher price to raise the recipient's appreciation, while recipients report no such link.
What it is
Flynn and Adams found this across three studies, in the laboratory and the field, with roles and gift size manipulated or measured. The authors suggest givers cannot rely on their own experience as recipients when choosing gifts.
In effect
The article on spending more at Christmas uses it as the belief that pushes the December budget up.
What it does not say
The finding concerns how far appreciation follows price. It does not say that price never matters to recipients, or that cheaper gifts are always better received.
Sources
- Flynn, F. J., & Adams, G. S. (2009). Money can't buy love: Asymmetric beliefs about the link between gift price and feelings of appreciation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(2), 404-409.
- 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(2), 404-409.