Neuroscience
Psychology-themed gifts:
Inception DVD - Jungian symbolism, action adventure and Leonardo DiCaprio!
A subscription to Scientific American Mind magazine.
"I'm statistically significant" and other stats-themed t-shirts.
Memento DVD - the best amnesia movie that we can remember.
The Force Trainer - Become a Jedi: wireless headset interprets your brainwaves and moves an object.
"Connect it" brain/usb t-shirt.
Mindflex brainwave game - go head to head with a friend.
A subscription to The Psychologist magazine.
Serotonin necklace.
Freudian slippers.
Dopamine t-shirt.
Inflatable brain.
Ramon y Cajal t-shirt.
Make a donation to Mind - the UK's leading mental health charity.
The best psychology books of 2011 (and there's always the new Rough Guide to Psychology by the editor of the Research Digest!)
Gift-giving research
If in doubt, give them what they want. A study published this year suggested people prefer receiving what they asked for, rather than a surprise gift.
Don't bundle your gifts. Gift receivers rate a single high-value gift more positively than a big gift bundled with a stocking filler.
This study, from 2002, found that money was a poor gift because it doesn't convey meaningful information about intimacy and can send the wrong message about the relative status between gift giver and receiver.
Be careful when buying a gift for your man. A study from 2008 found that men responded to dud gifts more negatively than women.
Given the choice, people seem to prefer receiving gifts of plenty and practicality over exclusivity.
Finally, don't forget to say thank you, even if you don't like the gift you've been given.
Merry Christmas!
--
Post compiled by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest. Many of the gift ideas were found via mindhacks.com
- Episode 4: The Psychology Of Gift Giving
This is Episode Four of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this festive episode we explore whether psychology can help us with gift giving. Our presenter Christian Jarrett and his guests...
- What We've Been Getting Wrong About Choosing Gifts
Buying a gift can feel like a test. You want the gift to show how thoughtful you've been, and how you've taken the recipient's interests and personality into account. Yet according to the authors of a new psychology paper, this isn't the...
- The Psychology Of Gift Giving - Just Give Them What They Want
By spending days hunting for that special gift for your friend or partner, you'll show them just how much you care, and also what incredible insight you have into their needs and interests. Right? Not exactly. A new study by a pair of researchers...
- Why You Should Take Extra Care When Buying A Xmas Gift For A Man
As you go shopping for Christmas presents this holiday, bear in mind that buying the wrong gift for a man could put your relationship with him in jeopardy, whereas buying a bad gift for a woman is far less dangerous. That's according to Elizabeth...
- They Didn't Even Say Thank You
You sacrificed your Saturday afternoon, you faced the high-street crowds, but after unwrapping the present you so generously bought for them, they didn’t even say thank you. According to Catherine Roster of the University of New Mexico, when it comes...
Neuroscience
Our Xmas special: gift psychology and psychology gifts
Inception DVD - Jungian symbolism, action adventure and Leonardo DiCaprio!
A subscription to Scientific American Mind magazine.
"I'm statistically significant" and other stats-themed t-shirts.
Memento DVD - the best amnesia movie that we can remember.
The Force Trainer - Become a Jedi: wireless headset interprets your brainwaves and moves an object.
"Connect it" brain/usb t-shirt.
Mindflex brainwave game - go head to head with a friend.
A subscription to The Psychologist magazine.
Serotonin necklace.
Freudian slippers.
Dopamine t-shirt.
Inflatable brain.
Ramon y Cajal t-shirt.
Make a donation to Mind - the UK's leading mental health charity.
The best psychology books of 2011 (and there's always the new Rough Guide to Psychology by the editor of the Research Digest!)
Gift-giving research
If in doubt, give them what they want. A study published this year suggested people prefer receiving what they asked for, rather than a surprise gift.
Don't bundle your gifts. Gift receivers rate a single high-value gift more positively than a big gift bundled with a stocking filler.
This study, from 2002, found that money was a poor gift because it doesn't convey meaningful information about intimacy and can send the wrong message about the relative status between gift giver and receiver.
Be careful when buying a gift for your man. A study from 2008 found that men responded to dud gifts more negatively than women.
Given the choice, people seem to prefer receiving gifts of plenty and practicality over exclusivity.
Finally, don't forget to say thank you, even if you don't like the gift you've been given.
Merry Christmas!
--
Post compiled by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest. Many of the gift ideas were found via mindhacks.com
- Episode 4: The Psychology Of Gift Giving
This is Episode Four of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. In this festive episode we explore whether psychology can help us with gift giving. Our presenter Christian Jarrett and his guests...
- What We've Been Getting Wrong About Choosing Gifts
Buying a gift can feel like a test. You want the gift to show how thoughtful you've been, and how you've taken the recipient's interests and personality into account. Yet according to the authors of a new psychology paper, this isn't the...
- The Psychology Of Gift Giving - Just Give Them What They Want
By spending days hunting for that special gift for your friend or partner, you'll show them just how much you care, and also what incredible insight you have into their needs and interests. Right? Not exactly. A new study by a pair of researchers...
- Why You Should Take Extra Care When Buying A Xmas Gift For A Man
As you go shopping for Christmas presents this holiday, bear in mind that buying the wrong gift for a man could put your relationship with him in jeopardy, whereas buying a bad gift for a woman is far less dangerous. That's according to Elizabeth...
- They Didn't Even Say Thank You
You sacrificed your Saturday afternoon, you faced the high-street crowds, but after unwrapping the present you so generously bought for them, they didn’t even say thank you. According to Catherine Roster of the University of New Mexico, when it comes...