When we’re having a bad day, what can our loved ones do to help us? Give us some chocolate, it seems.
A survey of over 3,600 people found that a sweet gift was more uplifting in difficult times than a listening ear.
This is because gifts are seen as a greater ‘sacrifice’, as they are more focused on the well-being of the recipient than on the well-being of the giver.
In an experiment conducted by researchers from Canadian business school HEC Montreal, the State University of New York-Albany and Duke University in the US, people were asked to imagine that someone had hit their car and they asked a friend for support.
Those who were told that their friend was not free to talk but that he/she would send them a gift felt better than those who were told that their friend would call them.
A sweet treat can cheer someone up more than a listening ear after a hard day, new research shows (file photo)
In the study, those who received a chocolate gift instead of a conversation said they felt better and that their partners had made more sacrifices
In another experiment, a couple was asked to tell their partner that they needed emotional support.
The partners were then randomly assigned to respond with a small chocolate treat or by having a short conversation with them.
People who received the gift said they felt better and that their partner had sacrificed more than people who had a conversation.
Lead researcher Holly Howe, assistant professor of marketing, explained, “When people think about sacrifice, they consider the motives of the sacrificer. When it comes to conversation, they assume the motive of the supporter is to benefit both parties.
“When it comes to gifts, the supportee assumes that the supporter’s motive is more altruistic—that he or she is making sacrifices solely for the benefit of the recipient.”
And the size of the gift doesn’t matter.
Ms Howe added: ‘We know that the sacrifice effect is not driven by the fact that gifts cost money while conversations take time. We also know that it is not driven by the gifted object itself. This implies that it is almost impossible for gift givers to mess up.
“It doesn’t matter what you give or how much it costs. What matters is that the recipient knows you were thinking of them and that you took the time and effort to send them something, even if it didn’t benefit you at all.”