In an experiment, people had greater appreciation for the gift of a mug emblazoned with an image from the Louvre Museum in Paris if they were informed that the giver was passionate about France, as opposed to England (5.83 versus 5.27 on a 1-to-7 appreciation scale). Four such studies demonstrate that recipients appreciate a gift more when it refers in some way to the giver’s core characteristics, says a team led by Gabriele Paolacci of Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

(Source: Journal of Consumer Psychology)

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, November 23rd, 2015