Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
It’s that time of year when winter holidays send people on a buying spree as they collect gifts to give to every friend, family member, and acquaintance. And you’d think that after so many years of giving gifts for all sorts of holidays, we’d be pretty good at it. Right? Well, not according to research in psychology. In this episode, we explore the psychology of why giving to others is such a good thing to do, and also where gift givers go wrong. Along the way, we’ll pick up some tips for how to approach giving in a smarter, more effective way.
Episode 27 of Opinion Science, Released December 21, 2020. Produced and hosted by Andy Luttrell.
For links to research + a full transcript, visit: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/giving-and-getting-good-gifts-rebroadcast
Many guests in this episode!
- We hear from Laura and Bethany Sanders about childhood gifting go awry. Laura Sanders is a stand-up comedian and illustrator, so check out her work!
- Dr. Lara Aknin is an associate professor of Social Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She studies what makes people happy.
- Dr. Jeff Galak is an associate professor of Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. He also runs the YouTube channel @GalakBreaksItDown.
- Dr. Julian Givi is an assistant professor of Marketing at West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics. He studies gift-giving.
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Opinion Science is a psychology podcast exploring the science of our opinions, where they come from and how they change. Each week I talk to social scientists and professional communicators about how the work they do reveals key insights about public opinion and persuasion.
Follow this psychology podcast...
Website: opinionsciencepodcast.com
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opinion-science/id1506227206
Twitter: twitter.com/OpinionSciPod
Facebook: facebook.com/OpinionSciPod
It’s that time of year when winter holidays send people on a buying spree as they collect gifts to give to every friend, family member, and acquaintance. And you’d think that after so many years of giving gifts for all sorts of holidays, we’d be pretty good at it. Right? Well, not according to research in psychology. In this episode, we explore the psychology of why giving to others is such a good thing to do, and also where gift givers go wrong. Along the way, we’ll pick up some tips for how to approach giving in a smarter, more effective way.
Episode 27 of Opinion Science, Released December 21, 2020. Produced and hosted by Andy Luttrell.
For links to research + a full transcript, visit: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/giving-and-getting-good-gifts-rebroadcast
Many guests in this episode!
- We hear from Laura and Bethany Sanders about childhood gifting go awry. Laura Sanders is a stand-up comedian and illustrator, so check out her work!
- Dr. Lara Aknin is an associate professor of Social Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She studies what makes people happy.
- Dr. Jeff Galak is an associate professor of Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. He also runs the YouTube channel @GalakBreaksItDown.
- Dr. Julian Givi is an assistant professor of Marketing at West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics. He studies gift-giving.
==================
Opinion Science is a psychology podcast exploring the science of our opinions, where they come from and how they change. Each week I talk to social scientists and professional communicators about how the work they do reveals key insights about public opinion and persuasion.
Follow this psychology podcast...
Website: opinionsciencepodcast.com
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opinion-science/id1506227206
Twitter: twitter.com/OpinionSciPod
Facebook: facebook.com/OpinionSciPod
