Since I own a gift store, I have become intrigued on why I own a gift store. It's hard work, finding the right products, pricing, merchandising and staying "gleeful" even on a down day. So I have become curious about my own personal reasons for owning a gift store, over all other types of businesses I could own. I begin by doing research on the history of gift giving, and here's what I learned:
Since the dawn of time people have been giving gifts. People in early civilizations gave gifts to their tribal leaders and each other to show loyalty and love. They used bark and wood from the trees, and reeds to fashion unique objects as gifts. Gift giving has always been reciprocal, except for the heads of state in various cultures. People received gifts to procure favors and to demonstrate allegiance,and if you think about it, this practice is still in place today.
Gift giving might have helped early humans survive, and in this way became an ingrained part of our psychology as we have become more civilized. Early women who were the most giving with their resources, be it food, animal pelts, or whatever, had a better chance of sustaining their young and helping their family thrive. Men who weren’t afraid to share their resources were better at attracting a partner and passing on their genes. For early humans, gift giving might have had this hidden self-interested aspect, which led to it becoming a widespread human trait.
Current research keeps pointing to gift giving as a very important way to strengthen social bonds and to improve psychological well-being. It turns out that the old saying “It’s better to give than to receive,” is right, at least on a psychological level. Gift giving lets the giver get into the recipient’s head for a little while, and see what is important to them. It’s crucial for validating social bonds and the importance of certain relationships.
Gift giving is probably playing an important role in your social life, even if you don’t know it; psychologists liken the act of making a gift list and buying presents to arraying the people and relationships in your life by order of importance. Giving gifts makes you evaluate those bonds, and decide which are worth strengthening and which are not. Funny, during the holidays I see many people with lists!
Are you a "lister"? Who's always at the top of your list? Are they the most important person in your life, or the hardest person to buy a present for?
Stay tuned for Part Two: The Art of Buying a Gift
Source:
A Gift that Gives Right Back? The Giving Itself. (2007) Tara Parker-Pope. The New York Times.
