Givers eschew gifts that are inferior to their own: How social norms, regulatory focus, and concerns about offending lead givers astray
研究发现，送礼者比收礼者更不愿送出比自己拥有的更差的礼物，因为送礼者更关注预防（而非促进），担心违反社会规范而冒犯对方，但收礼者对此并不那么在意。
Abstract We explore gift givers' and gift recipients' preferences concerning gifts that compare unfavorably to givers' own products. Across eight studies, we demonstrate that givers refrain from giving gifts that compare unfavorably to their own possessions more often than recipients prefer. This effect emerges because givers are more prevention‐focused (less promotion‐focused) than recipients and wish to avoid offending recipients by violating a corresponding social norm that our results suggest is of less concern to those receiving their gift. We find evidence for this two‐stage process through both mediation and moderation. This research adds to the gift giving literature by examining a new type of gifting decision, documenting a novel giver–recipient preference asymmetry, and shedding light on the roles that social norms, regulatory focus, and offensiveness play in gift giving.