Christmas is behind us, and with it, its share of gift-related stress. Find the right idea, order on time, manage delivery times… And sometimes, despite all our efforts and our good will, they do not arrive under the tree on the big day. Result: you are mortified to have arrived with your hands empty and dread having to offer your present out of time, to the point of wondering if it’s not better to simply abandon the idea.
In reality, giving a gift out of time is a lot less dramatic than you think. According to a host of studies carried out on the subject, including a recent published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, we greatly overestimate the negative impact that such a delay will have on our relationship with the recipient. The Conversation tells us moreenough to make us feel less guilty.
Worry about timing sometimes leads to… surprising decisions. In an experiment conducted ahead of Mother’s Day 2021, 201 participants were asked to choose between two options: a cheaper gift, delivered on time, or a more expensive gift, delivered late. 70% opted for the cheapest, purely to meet deadlines. This phenomenon happened again for Father’s Day, confirming that the fear of delay pushes us to make less qualitative choices just to be on time.
Yet these sacrifices are rarely necessary, because recipients care far less about deadlines than about caring about the gift. So, if you’re really worried, know that there are ways to compensate. According to a study of 805 adults, participants were less likely to expect a late delivery to harm a relationship if they expressed interest in the recipient in a different way. For example, putting together a gift by hand, personalizing an item, or simply including a little note can make your gesture memorable and your delay forgivable.
No need to stress so much
So why all the stress? Because the “givers” of gifts are often prisoners of strict social norms (much more than the recipients), which do not always reflect reality. Thus, we tend to hesitate to offer second-hand productsbecause the norm is for gifts to be new. However, many people are often willing to receive second-hand items.
And if you’re wondering if it’s better to offer nothing than to offer late, the answer is simple: no. In a latest study carried out with 903 participants, researchers found that recipients judge a forgetting much more negatively than a delay, even a significant one. Receiving a gift two months after the occasion (perhaps don’t overdo it either) is always better received than receiving nothing at all. In other words, the expression “better late than never” has never been more apt. But don’t forget to include a sweet word.
Source: www.slate.fr
