Xmas tip: Wrap it up, dummy.

For Christmas, Behavioral Economists (you know, the guys who say we’re predictably irrational), say that gifts should be carefully wrapped.

Why?

First, wrapping adds a personal touch … showing that you care enough to select the right wrapping and put some sweat equity into the present.

Second, wrapping adds to the romance (broadly defined), suspense and ritualization … you know: the shaking of the present, the slow reveal, the shouts of joy.

So, (1) do it yourself (2) don’t use newspaper or birthday wrapping (3) don’t say “I wrapped it myself” … that’ll be obvious.

Inspired by: The Behavioral Economist’s Guide to Buying Presents

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Tags: Behavioral Economics, Christmas

This entry was posted on December 21, 2011 at 6:54 am and is filed under Behavioral Economics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Xmas tip: Wrap it up, dummy.”

Chris Says:
December 21, 2011 at 8:59 am | Reply
Summerizing the Behavioral Economists’ Gift Buying Guide: the best gift for anyone is a neatly wrapped stack of cash money.

For men, using the latest issued currency with hi-tech counterfeit deterrents is a plus. For women, consider giving 18th Cen. French francs.

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