order to show love for someone and the best gifts can often come from a little creativity with what you already know they’ll enjoy.
Galak also suggests not to obsess over finding the most unique gift. Sometimes it’s better to give a coveted item, rather than one that might be more off-the-wall but not as wanted.
“The person opening the gift might be more excited about getting something they actually want and it will give them a feeling of belonging,” said Galak. “Buy what you know.”
We usually focus on a person’s unique traits when we are shopping for them. But this can make it difficult to buy the right gift. If we are specific, then it may be too easy to not notice other things that they might want or need. It can also be hard to find gifts for people who are different from each other if we are specific.
“Galak noted that people may give bad gifts because they simply don’t have a clue what the recipients might like, so they buy wares from multiple stores in an attempt to get at least one hit. But those really good ideas can be overlooked — and very under-appreciated– if you are too busy looking for things from different stores.”
Buy based on shared interests
Psychology professor Dunn argues that a thoughtful gift can be given by determining what you have in common with the recipient and picking an item from there.
When you’re shopping for yourself, it’s all about what makes YOU happy. If you have a shared interest with someone and want to get them something they’ll like too – then pick the gift that would make YOU happy.
Think about something you share in common with the person you are buying for. Then, buy them something they can experience. For example, a cooking class or tickets to a concert.
Research has shown that experiential gifts can bring people closer even when they don’t do the gift together.
“If you know that someone has a love for gardening, but the only gift you have is an inspirational book about life as a gardener, maybe rethink your strategy and get them something they can use in their garden. A trowel, gardening experience or some seeds are better than just more reading material.”
If all else fails, ask them!
Asking people what they want for a gift isn’t seen as a good idea; gifts are meant to be thoughtful, if you just ask what they want and buy it, it shows a lack of creativity or thought.
However, if you’re running out of ideas and are struggling to come up with something they will like, it might be worth asking them what they want! Asking is a good idea as long as you don’t ask for the specific gift; just say “I’d love some input on gifts you might like.”
“People want to surprise and delight the recipient, but according to Dunn, ‘The better gift will be whatever it is they say they want.’ ” Galak agrees that the simplest way to do this is asking them directly, but most people don’t like when others ask for their preferences out of fear that it means they won’t enjoy the present.
Simple and thoughtful gifts are the best
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t be too worried about giving a bad gift. You’re not going to give someone a terrible gift all the time, so don’t worry about it!
People love getting gifts, and you can tell they are appreciative when someone takes the time to find out what those people like. But even if your gift isn’t as great as it could have been, that person will probably still appreciate how thoughtful of a gesture it was. And whenever someone is given bad or inappropriate things from their friends and family members (which happens more often than not), all they need to do is think about why this particular thing might be important enough for them — good or bad– in order to feel appreciated. It’s not about what the gift is, but that someone thought of them.
Plus, a bad gift will always be funny to talk about later on!