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【VoiceTube Vclass 黃玟君老師的完勝英文閱讀課】
每日英語跟讀 Ep.1011: The Perfect Gift? It’s the One They Asked For
Social scientists bear glad tidings for the holiday season. After extensively observing how people respond to gifts, they have advice for shoppers: You don’t have to try so hard.
社會科學家為假日季節帶來令人愉悅的消息。在廣為觀察人們對禮物的反應後，他們向購物者提出了建議：你不需要這麼辛苦。
You’re not obliged to spend hours finding just the right gift for each person on your list. Most would be just as happy with something quick and easy. This may sound too good to be true, but rest assured this is not a ploy by some lazy Scrooges in academia.
你沒有必要花上好幾個小時，為你名單上的每個人找到適合的禮物。即使是輕鬆快速挑選的禮物，一樣能令大多數人高興。也許這聽起來好得教人難以置信，但請放心，這並不是學術界一些懶惰的小氣鬼耍弄的噱頭。
These researchers are meticulous analysts of gift-giving rituals, and this year they have more data than ever to back up their advice:
這些研究人員一絲不苟地分析送禮風俗，今年他們有了比以往更多的資料來支持他們的建言：
Don’t aim for the “big reveal.” Many shoppers strive to find a sensational toy or extravagant piece of jewelry that will create drama when it’s opened. But drama is not what recipients want, according to a new study by Jeff Galak of Carnegie Mellon University.
不要以「打開禮物時的驚喜」為目標。許多購物者努力去找令人驚奇的玩具或昂貴的珠寶，想在禮物拆封時創造戲劇效果，但根據卡內基美隆大學賈拉克的新研究，戲劇效果並不是收禮者要的。
He and his colleagues have found that gifts go wrong because the givers are focused on the moment of exchange, whereas the recipients are thinking long-term: Will I actually get any use out of this?
賈拉克與研究夥伴們發現，禮物選錯是因為送禮的人專注在交換的那一刻，收禮者想的卻是長期問題：我真能用上它嗎？
Don’t “over-individuate” your gifts. People too often give bad presents because they insist on buying something different for everyone.
不要「太過量身打造」你的禮物。人們太常因為堅持為每個人買不同的禮物而選錯禮物。
In experiments using greeting cards and gifts, psychologists found that people typically feel obliged to choose unique items for each person on their list even when the recipients wouldn’t know if they got duplicates — and even when one particularly good gift would work better for everyone.
在使用禮卡和禮物的實驗中，心理學家發現，人們常常覺得非得為名單上每個人挑選不同的禮物不可，就算收禮者不會知道拿到了跟別人一樣的東西，就算某一種特別好的禮物會讓每個人更高興，也是如此。
The more gifts you select, the more likely you’ll pick some duds. If you can find one sure thing, don’t be afraid to give it more than once.
你挑選愈多種禮物，就愈有可能挑到廢物。如果你能找到一種確定很好的禮物，不要怕重複送出。
— Don’t be ashamed to regift. Researchers have found that most people assume that someone who gave them a gift would be deeply offended if they passed it along to someone else. But these same studies show that most givers actually aren’t offended.
Once they give someone a present, they figure it’s the recipient’s right to dispose of it at will.
——不用對轉送禮物感到難為情。研究人員發現，大多數人以為如果把收到的禮物轉送他人，送禮者會深感不悅，然而，同樣的研究顯示，大多數送禮者其實不會生氣。
他們一旦把禮物送出去了，就認為收禮者有權隨意處置。
— Let your recipients do the work for you. They know what they want better than you do. If they’ve asked for something, buy it instead of surprising them.
Psychologists have found people are happier getting items listed in their gift registry than unsolicited gifts, and in some cases they’re happier still to receive cash. (But one of the researchers, Francis Flynn of Stanford University, cites an exception: Don’t try giving your spouse cash.)
——讓收禮的人為你找禮物。他們對自己想要什麼比你清楚。如果他們要求過某種東西，買就是了，不用讓他們驚喜。
心理學家發現，人們收到在心目中禮物名冊上的禮物時，會比收到從未要求過的禮物更開心，在某些情況下，收到現金更是高興。（不過，其中一名研究人員、史丹福大學的弗林提到一個例外：可別給配偶現金。）
Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/307851/web/
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