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Money Can't Buy Love: Asymmetric Beliefs About the Link Between Gift Price and Feelings of Appreciation

Flynn, F. J., & Adams, G. S. (2009). Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(2), 404–409. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2008.11.003.

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Summary

Givers expected recipients to appreciate more expensive gifts more strongly, apparently treating higher price as a signal of thoughtfulness. Recipients, however, did not report the same relationship between gift price and appreciation. The study therefore challenges the intuitive assumption that spending more reliably produces a better-received gift.

Key findings

  • Three studies find givers expect higher gift price to produce stronger recipient appreciation.
  • Recipients' actual reported appreciation did not track gift price the way givers predicted.

GiftNav takeaway

Price should be treated as a constraint and suitability variable, not a quality score. More expensive should not automatically rank higher.

Themes

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Last reviewed September 14, 2026.

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