Are you a wrapping whiz, able to perfectly fold those crisp corners with ease? Or are you a little bit less of a perfectionist , and thrive on getting things wrapped as quickly as possible?
If you’re the latter, then you’re in luck: According to a study from the Society for Consumer Psychology , a messily wrapped gift is a better gift.
Huh?
See, I’m a wrapping perfectionist.
I like my lines neat, my corners crisp, and my wrapping paper perfectly measured out. I use two pieces of tape, MAXIMUM. So you can imagine how I feel about hearing that all of my hard work has no impact on my recipient, you know?
So, what’s going on?
We expect that a neatly wrapped gift will please the person we’re giving it to, right? That’s why stores have professional wrappers available to gift wrap your presents. Those wrappers are the key to the entire gift experience!
Apparently, there’s a psychology to wrapping.
Our assumptions about a neatly wrapped gift creating high expectations are wrong — and right.
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According to the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP), our neat wrapping habits create a bit of a paradox in our brains.
A neatly wrapped gift suggests a GOOD present.
As I said, that perfect wrapping can be a blessing, or a detriment. See, nice wrapping tells our brains that we’re going to find something extremely good inside. Our expectations are high, and we naturally want the present to meet them.
And if it doesn’t…oof.
We’re immediately a little deflated upon revealing a bundle of socks under all that neatly folded wrapping paper. Now, I would love a bundle of socks, but my brain set me up to assume there was something a bit fancier under that nice wrapping.
It’s all about managing expectations.
The study noted that handing someone a sloppily wrapped gift sets their expectations low. It allows us to be pleasantly surprised when we reveal something we truly wanted under the paper!
There’s no question that wrapping paper is key to Christmas.
The study noted that when it comes to receiving a gift, we prefer the gift to be wrapped. Wrapping paper evokes happy, nostalgic feelings of past gifts. The paper is the key to the whole Christmas experience.
But how we wrap them is apparently important, too.
Before you spend an inordinate amount of time perfectly folding those creases, consider the psychology of it all! Save yourself some time and do just an okay job of wrapping, instead.
So, what do you think?
Do you agree that your expectations are definitely raised or lowered according to how your gift is wrapped? Do you prefer a neatly wrapped gift, or one that has a bit of personality to it? Let me know!
