The Gift of Choice? How Offering Options Can Undermine Recipient Appreciation
研究发现，送礼者认为提供选择会让礼物更好，但收礼者反而觉得这种礼物不够用心，从而降低感激之情，这种差异在关系疏远或送礼者说明预选理由时会减弱。
ABSTRACT This research examines the differing evaluations of “gifts with choices”—gifts allowing recipients to select specific attributes—by givers and recipients. Through multiple studies, we find that recipients view such gifts as less thoughtful, resulting in reduced appreciation. Conversely, givers underestimate the negative impact of offering choices on recipients' perceptions. This giver–recipient asymmetry stems from recipients associating these gifts with less effort from the giver. Importantly, the discrepancy diminishes in socially distant relationships or when givers provide information about their preselected gift attributes. This study expands gift‐giving literature by being the first to investigate gifts with choices, unveiling a unique giver–recipient disagreement, and exploring its underlying causes and boundary conditions.