Choosing a gift that the recipient will truly love and appreciate can be no easy feat. Even if you know someone very well, it’s so easy to get it wrong and give them a gift that, sure, they’ll pretend to love, but which you just know they’re disappointed in. The good news is, is that it doesn’t have to be that way – science has come to the rescue.

Yes, scientists have looked into the art of gift giving and they have come up with some solid rules for giving gifts that will be really appreciated by anyone on any occasion. Read on to find out more:

Know the Person Well:

Okay, so this probably isn’t going to help you if you’re buying for a mere acquaintance but a psychologist at San Fransisco State University by the name of Ryan Howell says that really knowing the person you’re gifting to is the key to getting it right. This makes sense, because if you know that your friend is a fan of the kind of quirky gifts you find at Davson Sales or you know that your aunt loves the dresses at Macy’s, then you’ll be giving a great gift. Even better, it enables you to go with a meaningful gift that is highly personalized to them and is unique – how could they not love that?

Make a Donation:

Although this often seems like a way of wimping out or something that people will pretend to like, but are secretly disappointed about, science says differently. In research conducted by Harvard Business School, it was found that giving to charity makes people happier than buying stuff and giving more makes people happier still, so by making a charity donation in the giftee’s name, you both win.

Handmade:

Buying something brand new from the store can be a good move if you know for sure that the giftee wants whatever it is you’re buying, but if you don’t it can be a minefield. Will they like it? Do they already have it? Should I give them the receipt just in case? Luckily, you can easily avoid all of that, because a study conducted by the Journal of Marketing in 2015 found that people like to gift homemade items because they are more unique, thoughtful, and they are often more appreciated. The same is true of family heirlooms which are more valued and, thus, more appreciated even if they are not actually more expensive.

A craft that you enjoy making is always a good idea!

Give Them an Experience:

Giving people an experience that they will remember forever as gifts, like the ones at If Only, typically, according to science, makes them happier than giving them objects that they may well be bored of in a month or two. So, if you’re stuck, think about whether they’d like tickets to the big football game, a skydiving experience, a spa break, or something similarly exciting that fits their personality. They’ll undoubtedly like it more than chocolates, beer, or flowers.

Even if you weren’t great at science in school, let the experts help you make the best of your gifting with the ideas above!

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