A PROFESSOR at the University of Worcester says his research into the psychology of gift giving can explain a lot about the tradition and why we care more about what we buy for our parents and partners than our second cousins.
Dr Daniel Farrelly believes there are many unconscious factors at play when we are considering what to buy and who to buy for as the festive season approaches.
Not only are humans inclined to buy more thoughtful and extravagant gifts for our close relatives and loved ones, we are often blissfully unaware of why we feel the urge to do so.
It would be reasonable to assume that we are now at whim of commercialism, marketing and social pressures when purchasing gifts for loved ones because of fears of appearing uncaring or ungrateful for their support.
And while Dr Farrelly believes this does play a part, our history and evolution over millions of years shows the theories of reciprocal altruism and kin selection are much more likely reasons than capitalism for our gift giving traditions.
“As we evolved from Hunter gatherers, in groups of 200 odd people, we relied hugely on that group for social support which encouraged cooperation,” he said.
“Now we see this manifest in traditions at Christmas time. Gift giving is a perfect example of being able to build on those relationships and maintain them,” he added.
This shared appreciation for one another is also more prevalent within close relationships, especially between particularly close family members such as husbands, wives, parents, and siblings.
Dr Farrelly explains that kin selection relates to our evolutionary understanding that our close relatives and direct descendants are our bloodline, our genetic offspring.
We ‘give more support to closer relatives’ because ‘we know gifts are a nice indication of our support and care’ for people who are going to be able to carry on our family tree, says Dr Farrelly.
This also links in with courtship and our predisposition to splash out on a prospective partner who we are hoping to form a long term relationship with.
Dr farrelly said: “Being kind is seen as a very important human trait. Especially for women, who view this and a partners giving nature as desirable.
“It shows willingness to provide for them and their offspring.”
And while the majority of our gift giving nature comes from an inherent desire to care for and support those close to us, Dr Farrelly explains there is a darker more ‘self-serving’ aspect at play.
This is the theory of giving for increased reputation, which is where we see organisations make sure they let people know when they are donating to charity in order to portray that altruistic nature.
Even kin selection and reciprocal altruism ultimately benefits us, even if it helps out others.
