Asymmetric beliefs about gift price and feelings
of appreciation
Across three studies, we identify an asymmetry between gift-givers’ and gift-recipients’ beliefs about the
link between gift price and feelings of appreciation. Gift-givers expected a positive correlation between
how much they spent on a gift and the extent to which gift-recipients would appreciate the gift because
gift-givers assume that more expensive gifts convey a higher level of thoughtfulness. Gift-recipients, in
contrast, reported no such association between gift price and their actual feelings of appreciation. This
effect occurred regardless of whether the individual’s role and the magnitude of the gift were manipu-
lated or measured in the field. Taken together, these findings cast doubt on whether gift-givers can draw
on their personal experience as gift-recipients in order to identify meaningful gifts for others.