Exaggerated, mispredicted, and misplaced: When it's the thought that counts in gift exchanges

Zhang (2012) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · Read the paper

Zhang and Epley, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 141(4), 2012, 667-681. Gift giving involves the value of the object and the symbolic meaning of the exchange. Givers do not experience the trigger that makes receivers consider the giver's thoughts, so they mispredict when thoughts count; three experiments supported this and a final experiment showed increasing social connection to the receiver made thoughts count.

Zhang and Epley, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 141(4), 2012, 667-681. Gift giving involves the value of the object and the symbolic meaning of the exchange. Givers do not experience the trigger that makes receivers consider the giver's thoughts, so they mispredict when thoughts count; three experiments supported this and a final experiment showed increasing social connection to the receiver made thoughts count.

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Zhang, Y., & Epley, N. (2012). Exaggerated, mispredicted, and misplaced: When it's the thought that counts in gift exchanges. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(4), 667-681. doi:10.1037/a0029223 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029223