I think there's sometimes another benefit of gift giving:
If the giver has special knowledge in a field that you don't. For example, let's say you have no fashion sense, but your sister does. She spends $50 on a nice shirt for you that catches the eyes of all the girls in school. That shirt is worth more to you than if she gave you $50 cash cause she also mixed in her labour as a fashion consultant.
My children know the market far better than I. So, no, they do not buy what I would have bought with their money. But they buy something that I enjoy much more than what I would have bought. I suppose they could give me the money plus a list of what they thought of buying.
This misses the pro-social benefits of gift giving. By pushing you to think about what your loved ones want in order to get them gifts, the gift tradition strengthens your mental model of them, thus deepening your relationship.
So it's not just the direct pleasure of gift giving that the cash present team is up against, it's the long term benefits as well.
on 2- folks should simply become higher in agreeableness and lower in neuroticism, and enjoy Christmas--and life, and people--more. I did. probably the biggest factor for me was just aging haha.
An elegant solution to this is to gather a backlog of things you need but don't necessarily care to shop for and then hint or outright provide a list to the future gift-giver. You're happy that you got the thing you needed and they're happy that you enjoy their gift.
A different or at least additional game is being played in gift giving. People get utility out of surprising the recipient. Cash is rarely going to be a pleasant surprise. People have occasionally given me gifts of things that I would not have bought myself, resulting in things that I appreciate more than I expected to. True, this is rare, and probably does not really justify the entire exercise.
Give children toys if at all possible as cash might not make it into their pockets. Teens and those into their twenties will certainly prefer cash. After that, food and drink are my go-to gifts. That special someone in your life really should receive a special gift that shows you have been paying attention.
You will maximize pleasure-giving efficiency by segmenting the market. It’s just basic economics, really.
In the case of an object that can be used many times, perhaps for many years, it being a gift from someone we care about can enhance its value. On the flip side, there's all those pants you got from your hated ex-wife but can't throw away because they're the right brand.
The purpose of gift-giving is to send a signal that you have invested attention in your relationship with someone. By picking out a gift for them, you demonstrate that you know what kind of person they are, which in turn indicates that you pay attention to them. Everyone loves cash, so giving the gift of cash does not communicate that you have any special knowledge of that person.
This is also why gift cards are a thing. Giving someone cash, which they use to go to their favorite restaurant, has the same end result as giving them a gift card to their favorite restaurant. But the gift card is a better gift because it signals that you pay enough attention to them to know what their favorite restaurant is.
There's another benefit to the gift. My SIL is a retired librarian whose knowledge of recent book releases is broader and deeper than mine. Twice a year she finds books for me that I would not have found, and three out of four are very good choices. That's at least as good as I can do.
||Giving and receiving economic enlightenment is always a joy for all people at all times.||
A comment to unite both the orthodox and the communists, eager to put you in front of a firing squad
I think there's sometimes another benefit of gift giving:
If the giver has special knowledge in a field that you don't. For example, let's say you have no fashion sense, but your sister does. She spends $50 on a nice shirt for you that catches the eyes of all the girls in school. That shirt is worth more to you than if she gave you $50 cash cause she also mixed in her labour as a fashion consultant.
Merry Christmas, sir!
My children know the market far better than I. So, no, they do not buy what I would have bought with their money. But they buy something that I enjoy much more than what I would have bought. I suppose they could give me the money plus a list of what they thought of buying.
This misses the pro-social benefits of gift giving. By pushing you to think about what your loved ones want in order to get them gifts, the gift tradition strengthens your mental model of them, thus deepening your relationship.
So it's not just the direct pleasure of gift giving that the cash present team is up against, it's the long term benefits as well.
on 2- folks should simply become higher in agreeableness and lower in neuroticism, and enjoy Christmas--and life, and people--more. I did. probably the biggest factor for me was just aging haha.
An elegant solution to this is to gather a backlog of things you need but don't necessarily care to shop for and then hint or outright provide a list to the future gift-giver. You're happy that you got the thing you needed and they're happy that you enjoy their gift.
A different or at least additional game is being played in gift giving. People get utility out of surprising the recipient. Cash is rarely going to be a pleasant surprise. People have occasionally given me gifts of things that I would not have bought myself, resulting in things that I appreciate more than I expected to. True, this is rare, and probably does not really justify the entire exercise.
Final point 2 - I feel seen 😂
Give children toys if at all possible as cash might not make it into their pockets. Teens and those into their twenties will certainly prefer cash. After that, food and drink are my go-to gifts. That special someone in your life really should receive a special gift that shows you have been paying attention.
You will maximize pleasure-giving efficiency by segmenting the market. It’s just basic economics, really.
In the case of an object that can be used many times, perhaps for many years, it being a gift from someone we care about can enhance its value. On the flip side, there's all those pants you got from your hated ex-wife but can't throw away because they're the right brand.
The purpose of gift-giving is to send a signal that you have invested attention in your relationship with someone. By picking out a gift for them, you demonstrate that you know what kind of person they are, which in turn indicates that you pay attention to them. Everyone loves cash, so giving the gift of cash does not communicate that you have any special knowledge of that person.
This is also why gift cards are a thing. Giving someone cash, which they use to go to their favorite restaurant, has the same end result as giving them a gift card to their favorite restaurant. But the gift card is a better gift because it signals that you pay enough attention to them to know what their favorite restaurant is.
There's another benefit to the gift. My SIL is a retired librarian whose knowledge of recent book releases is broader and deeper than mine. Twice a year she finds books for me that I would not have found, and three out of four are very good choices. That's at least as good as I can do.
Listen, man, you're making too much sense. This is a blog for autists.