Whether you are the giver or the receiver, gifts are a personalized way to make someone happy. The best type of gift to receive is one that you can use, one that has meaning, and one that you actually wanted and yet did not have to specifically ask for.
It is not necessarily the cost or the size of the gift that counts, but it is always about the thoughtfulness of the gift. Hence the saying, “It is not the gift, but the thought that counts.”
The Growth of Personalized Gifts
The internet basically allows you to buy pretty much anything you like. Whether its tulips in July or chocolate-free chocolate, its available and you can get hold of it if you look hard enough. This is the level to which bespoke, individualized gifts and presents has gone.
A great example is mycustomheart.com where you can personalize a gift and ensure that the items selected speak directly to the person for whom they were intended. From the colors you include to the scents and fragrances, the type of jewelry, or whether it’s dark chocolate or white chocolate, you need to know what the receiver of the gift prefers or likes. It is this thoughtfulness and effort that make the gift special and meaningful and what creates the feel-good factor in giving.
Happiness and Gifting
It is a proven psychological fact that you can improve your personal happiness by giving to others. Happiness for a social being is primarily achieved by making those around you happy. This serves to strengthen the relationships that you have as well as to show those who you work with (or your family members) that they are appreciated. Numerous studies have been done and the bottom line is that it is true that it is in the giving that we truly receive.
Rewards and Behavior
Gifts or rewards can be used to shape positive behavior. The human brain is programed to acknowledge rewards as a motivator for the repeated behavior that warranted the reward, thus leading to the possibility of more rewards. The rewards can be both physical gifts or the gift of kind reaffirming words of encouragement or congratulations.
Such gifts serve to cement or transform the social relationship and will provide a sense of wellbeing. Whether it be rewards for a good performance or just because we have done a good deed for someone else, the gift will serve to encourage a repeat of the same behavior, even if you know the chances of another reward or gift are slim. It is this aspect of behavior that allows the gift to be a thank you mechanism. If someone’s behavior towards you has been polite, respectful, and loving, then the best way to ensure it continues in this vein is to reward such behavior with a gift of kind words or a physical item.
Buying gifts is often relegated to birthdays, Valentines, or Christmas; but it is the totally out-of-the-blue gifts that are bought not for a specific day—but for a genuine reason—that are truly appreciated. To say thank you, to say I love you, and to make yourself happy—these are great reasons to give gifts, and the gesture can be have an even bigger impact by selecting a gift that is focused on the recipient and their needs and wants.
