Why gifts are good for us
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Table of Contents
- Overview
- What’s so great about giving a gift?
- How does it make us feel?
- How does this benefit the recipient?
- What do gifts mean to different people?
Overview
The act of giving gifts helps us to create and maintain connections with people. It makes us feel good because we like to be nice, and it makes the recipient feel good too.
What’s so great about giving a gift?
The reason is simple; when we give a gift, it makes us feel good, and it makes the recipient feel good too. It’s a win-win! I suspect that the reason for this is evolutionary in nature; we have evolved to enjoy social interaction, and giving a gift is certainly one of those.
How does it make us feel?
This is very much down to you as an individual, and also the context. If you’re giving a birthday present to someone then you probably just feel warm inside, but if you give something intimate or even sexual your feelings might be quite different. In this case I think it’s often a bit of excitement about what might happen. You give them something sexual and perhaps they’ll do something sexual in return. Or maybe you’re simply being nice. Maybe you want them to feel better about themselves or more relaxed, or even just amused or entertained. Whatever your reason for giving something (and there are many reasons) I’m sure you’ll agree that doing so makes you feel good.
How does this benefit the recipient?
This depends on what they get from it. Of course they get whatever it was that was given to them, but they also get something less tangible; knowing that someone cares enough about them to buy them something! How much this means to them depends on what’s important to them; for some people having physical things like this is really important while others don’t care at all. For some people knowing that their partner loves and/or cares about them is really important; for others not so much.
What do gifts mean to different people?
I think it comes down to two things: how much do they care about physical objects, and how much do they care about being loved by someone. This can be illustrated using the ‘love languages’ model which has become popular in recent years (and rightly so in my opinion). In particular ‘receiving gifts’ which is one of the five love languages describes how much someone cares about receiving physical objects from their partner. For some this is essential for feeling loved while for others it means nothing at all (I’m in the latter category). And also ‘words of affirmation’, another of the five love languages describes how important it is to someone to hear words from their partner (such as “I love you” or “I want you”). This can be related to gifts because receiving a gift might make someone feel loved which could fall into this category. For more information on love languages have a look at our blog post on the subject here: https://www.mrinappropriate.co.uk/blogs/news/what-are-love-languages
Dan
LinkedIn profileAfter 25+ years juggling IT and management, Dan realized that many people (including friends, family, and coworkers) were grappling with anxiety and stress brought on by modern life. Determined to offer some comic relief, he founded Mr. Inappropriate, an online store for wonderfully rude and funny adult gifts and cards. Through weekly true stories, naughty product lines, and genuine one-on-one connections with customers, Dan’s mission is to help people safely push social boundaries, share a good laugh, and discover that being a bit “inappropriate” can be surprisingly therapeutic. A proud Yorkshire resident, Dan remains steadfast in his belief that humour is one of the best ways to escape the pressures of everyday life, and that a well-timed, mischievous gift can often o more good than any pill.
