‘Average at best’ when it comes to wrapping presents?
Relax. You might be doing yourself a favour.
If you’re one of those people who doesn’t particularly enjoy wrapping gifts, welcome to the club.
For a bunch of reasons I’m not a big fan of gift wrapping either, but whether I like it or not, and thanks to a whole lot of societal pressure(1), I feel I’m pretty much obligated to wrap the presents I give to other people.
Of course, the glossy advertisements, perfect Instagram posts and store window displays set the bar is pretty high when it comes to what a gift-wrapped present should look like. All those matching colours, neat, crisp folds, and perfectly positioned ribbons and bows …
Seriously?
It’s not like I don’t have other stuff to do.
Of course, it’s fine if you have the skills and you’re a bit ‘crafty’ and like that kind of thing. Who am I to judge? You do you.
But for those of us with a distinct lack of patience and a low tolerance for waste, wrapping presents is a chore we could do without.
That said, I will admit I can wrap presents in a half-decent fashion when I have to. I’m a little obsessive when it comes to symmetry and neatness, so I have that on my side. But if that’s not you and your gifts always seem to wind up looking like they were wrapped by a disgruntled four-year-old who’d rather be finger painting, don’t despair. It really isn’t the end of the world.
But don’t people like their presents nicely wrapped?
The short answer is yes. Yes they do. But it’s not as mission critical as you might think — especially amongst family and friends.
Proponents of gift wrapping (in particular, those who sell gift wrapping supplies), often refer to a 1992 study by the Professor of Marketing at Southern Methodist University, Daniel Howard(2).
In that study, Professor Howard explored how wrapping contributes to gift ‘approval’ by comparing wrapped with unwrapped gifts, and fancy wrapping(3) vs plain wrapping vs no wrapping.
Howard’s research showed that not only did gift recipients rate a gift more highly when it was wrapped as opposed to when wasn’t, but on top of that, the same gift with fancy wrapping rated higher than plain wrapping. (Both rating higher than no wrapping at all.)
In short, fancy wrapping: Good. Plain wrapping: Better than none.
Howard hypothesised that this is because people tend to relate nicely wrapped presents with happy events in their lives. He supposed the positive mood created by the presentation of a nicely wrapped gift may create a bias within the recipient that causes them to rate the gift more highly than if it was wrapped plainly.
So, doesn’t this suggest getting a bit fancy with your gift wrapping is the right thing to do?
Well, yes, Howard’s study does suggest that. But he’s not the only person who has researched this subject, and not only that, his research is now almost 30 years old.
A lot has changed in the world since 1992.
At the very least, Howard’s research predates mainstream concerns about waste, recycling, and climate change. And I think it’s fair to say that most people didn’t give much thought to the environmental cost of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, microplastics and glitter back in 1992.
Things are a little different nowadays (gladly) … but that’s a subject for another day.
In the meantime, let’s look at some more current research into the psychology underpinning gift wrapping and gifting experiences.
Are you setting an unrealistic expectation?
Much more recently (in 2019), a study by Jessica Rixom, Erick Mas and Brett Rixom, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology(4), demonstrated that when it comes to gift wrapping, it’s not as clear cut as fancy = good, plain = adequate. In fact, often, the opposite might be true.
The research published by Jessica Rixom and her colleagues indicated that fancy wrapping could set up high expectations on the part of the gift recipient. In turn this increases the likelihood they might be disappointed if the gift doesn’t live up to those elevated expectations.
The same study also revealed that plain, or even careless gift wrapping resulted in more overall enjoyment as the gift typically exceeded the expectation set by the low quality of wrapping.
“Ah Ha!” I hear you exclaim gleefully. “My dodgy wrapping efforts really are okay after all!”
Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re not entirely off the hook.
The relationship matters
In that same study, Rixom, Mas and Rixom also determined that the less well-known the gift recipient is to you, the more important the quality of the gift wrapping becomes — assuming, of course, you want to make a good impression.
In situations where you are not close to the gift recipient, they may be inclined to judge you (and your gift) based on how well your gift is wrapped.
Going to some effort to wrap a gift nicely can be taken as a sign of care and respect towards the person you’re giving the gift to. In turn, this can imbue your gift with a higher perceived worth than if it were presented in plain (or no) wrapping.
What this means is, if you want to create a good impression with someone you don’t know well, not only does your gift have to be thoughtful, but you also have to make sure it’s wrapped nicely(5).
When it comes to family and friends however, you can probably stop stressing about your wrapping being a bit wonky. In fact, your sub-standard wrapping may actually be doing you some favours. At least you’re not setting unrealistic expectations!
That being said, if you are a big fan of fancy gift wrapping, just remember one thing:
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
It seems fairly conclusive that wrapping a present beautifully will, in many circumstances, increase the enjoyment the recipient gets from that gift, certainly, before they open it. It may even cause them to value your gift more highly once it’s opened because it’s so nicely presented.
However, there’s a big caveat. If your gift is a bit rubbish, don’t expect fancy wrapping to make up for its shortcomings. All you’re going to do is make things worse — by setting unrealistic expectations that will probably result in disproportionate disappointment.
On the other hand, a thoughtful gift will always overcome any initial reservations about your amateurish wrapping efforts.
Thoughtful gifts, those that surprise and delight (and meet the needs and wants of the people you care about), will always leave a much longer lasting and more positive impression than how well you wrapped them.
It’s important to remember that next time you’re giving yourself a hard time for being ordinary at wrapping.
(1) The custom of wrapping gifts has been around a very long time and shows no sign of ending anytime soon. It’s thought to have originated in China around 2,200 years ago, about the same time paper was invented.
(2) Reference: Howard, D. (1992). Gift-Wrapping Effects on Product Attitudes: A Mood-Biasing Explanation. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 1 (3), 197–223
(3) In the research, ‘fancy’ meant colourful paper and the gift wrapped with a ribbon. ‘Plain’ was brown paper.
(4) Reference: Jessica M. Rixom, Erick M. Mas, Brett A. Rixom. Presentation Matters: The Effect of Wrapping Neatness on Gift Attitudes. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2019
(5) In many cultures it’s customary that gifts are opened later in private rather than at the moment they are received — lest disappointment with the gift should show on the face of the recipient. If you want to create a good impression in that kind of face-to-face situation, you’ll need to bring your A-game when it comes to wrapping.
