Wrapping Gifts Badly Makes People Like Them Even More

Just in time for holiday shopping, here's some good news for us guys! According to Gizmodo doing a bad job of wrapping gifts makes the recipient appreciate them even more. And wrapping gifts badly is something most of us guys excel at.

Here's how it works. A poorly wrapped gift causes the recipient to lower their expectations, so even a mediocre gift is appreciated like a really great gift.

In one part of their study the researchers gave gifts to a group of Miami Heat fans. Some got impeccably wrapped gifts, some got poorly wrapped gifts. It turned out that even when the Heat fans were given Orlando Magic mugs they rated the poorly wrapped gift higher.

Another part of the study took a more random sample of participants and put the same item, JVC ear buds, into all of the wrapped gifts. This time the poorly wrapped gift also got the more favorable rating. You can read more about their testing process here.

While this kind of strategy may work at the office Christmas party and with the people you know well, if it's something for someone you're just getting to know this may not be your best choice. Then again, if you really wanted to make a big impression, get someone a really great gift, then wrap it only the way we guys can. With duct tape.