"My family members are incredible gift-givers. Every birthday and holiday, they manage to select exactly what the recipient wanted or didn't know they wanted. I didn't inherit this gene. Inevitably, I wait until the last minute, panic and buy something totally random. My parents' closets (and, I assume, trash cans) are full of my misguided offerings: a Lego orchid, hair masks, a woodworking kit."
"Many people struggle because holidays are marketed as a time for giving, and the idea that consumption leads to happiness, says Emma Seppala, psychologist and lecturer in management at Yale University. But research shows that getting, say, a new iPad, only leads to a short burst of dopamine, the brain's so-called feelgood chemical. It doesn't lead to the lasting happiness anyone's looking for, Seppala says."
Family members can excel at selecting meaningful gifts while others struggle, often buying last-minute, random items that are unused. Holidays are marketed to encourage consumption and create the expectation that purchases will bring happiness. Material gifts produce only brief dopamine-driven pleasure and rarely produce lasting satisfaction. Excessive gifting contributes to environmental harm and ethical concerns because many presents are disposable plastic waste destined for landfills. Gift giving originally served to build mutual well-being, social bonds, loyalty, respect, and to mitigate conflict. Choosing thoughtful, sustainable gifts can strengthen relationships and reduce waste while creating more enduring emotional benefits.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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