Advent Day 14: How to select gifts

It may be counterintuitive, but the best way to select a gift for someone you love is to pretend they are a stranger. As Cognitive Daily explains a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research:

Here's the key finding: When partners' tastes were different from their own, then they were better at predicting each others' tastes if they believed they were predicting the tastes of a stranger. So, if your partner has different tastes from you, then even if you learn exactly what their tastes are, that information doesn't help you make predictions about their tastes. Instead, you substitute your own tastes.

It's probably a good idea to keep that in mind when you think you've found the "perfect" gift for your spouse or significant other.

Tags: Christmas, gifts