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Women Are Better at Selecting Gifts than Men

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  • Monique M H Pollmann
  • Ilja van Beest

Abstract

There is a widespread belief that women are better at selecting gifts than men; however, this claim has not been assessed on the basis of objective criteria. The current studies do exactly that and show that women do indeed make better gift selections for others, regardless of the gender of the receiver and the type of relationship between the giver and receiver. We investigate the mediating role of different aspects of interpersonal sensitivity and reveal that differences in interpersonal interest (measured with an autism questionnaire), but not differences in interpersonal reactivity, explain gender differences in gift selection quality. The current studies thus present the first objective evidence for the claim that women are better in selecting gifts for others and also give an indication of why this is the case.

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  • Monique M H Pollmann & Ilja van Beest, 2013. "Women Are Better at Selecting Gifts than Men," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-6, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0081643
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081643
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Belk, Russell W, 1976. "It's the Thought That Counts: A Signed Digraph Analysis of Gift-Giving," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 3(3), pages 155-162, December.
    2. Ruffle, Bradley J., 1999. "Gift giving with emotions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 399-420, July.
    3. Joel Waldfogel, 2002. "Gifts, Cash, and Stigma," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(3), pages 415-427, July.
    4. Ruth, Julie A & Otnes, Cele C & Brunel, Frederic F, 1999. "Gift Receipt and the Reformulation of Interpersonal Relationships," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 25(4), pages 385-402, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cheng, Andong & Meloy, Margaret G. & Polman, Evan, 2021. "Picking Gifts for Picky People," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 191-206.

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