{"id":757,"date":"2014-06-03T09:48:50","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T13:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wwww.birkatelyon.com\/blog\/?p=757"},"modified":"2014-10-21T19:17:48","modified_gmt":"2014-10-21T23:17:48","slug":"why-women-love-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birkatelyon.com\/blog\/why-women-love-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Women Love Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cheerful<\/a><\/p>\n

Men are well aware that women enjoy receiving jewelry, chocolates, and flowers. The reason women love gifts so much is that, simply put, they provide happiness: that\u2019s the core finding of recent studies<\/a> by psychologist and social anxiety expert Todd Kashdan.<\/p>\n

A Professor at George Mason University, Kashdan researched positive thinking for almost a decade, resulting in his book “Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life.” In the book, Kashdan argues that in order for a person to be happy, three factors must be in place:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. strong relationships, since we are designed to be social animals;<\/li>\n
  2. ability to experience the current moment rather than focusing on the past or future;<\/li>\n
  3. gratitude for what one has, as opposed to an envious or greedy perspective.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Focusing on the third element, Kashdan studied reactions when various people received gifts to better understand the human experience of gratitude.<\/p>\n

    Gender responses & cultural expectations with gifts<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Gratitude is apparently more difficult for men to experience purely. When women are given presents, the dominant response is simple enjoyment. If a man receives a gift, on the other hand, he immediately feels a sense of duty to reciprocate. Kashdan\u2019s analysis suggests that gifts represent responsibility to men, while women simply appreciate the generosity of the giver.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s understandable that men have difficulty separating gifts from social expectations. Gifts have long represented critical symbolic gestures in cultures all over the globe. The !Kung San, a people in Botswana, have a complex structure of gift presentation \u2013 termed \u201chxaro\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s used to further establish bonds. Similarly, Native Americans in the northwestern region of North America held celebrations called \u201cpotlatches\u201d to exchange valuable presents, a sign of the giver\u2019s strength.<\/p>\n

    What these findings might mean<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The question that remains is, \u201cWhy do women feel happiness, while men feel obligation?\u201d Cornell University anthropologist Meredith F. Small suggests two possible hypotheses:<\/p>\n