If you’ve ever felt guilty about giving a gift late for Christmas or a birthday, a new study offers some reassuring insights. Researchers have discovered that gift recipients are not as troubled by the delay as the givers often fear. Cory Haltman, the study’s principal investigator and a doctoral candidate in marketing at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, suggests that sending a belated gift should not be a significant concern as most people are more forgiving than givers anticipate. This revelation was part of a comprehensive study involving six experiments recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, exploring the discrepancies between givers’ and recipients’ perspectives on the punctuality of gift-giving.

The anxiety associated with delivering gifts late is widespread—a survey highlighted that 65% of Americans believe that gifts for specific occasions should be timely. However, Rebecca Reczek, a co-author of the study and professor of marketing at Fisher College, points out that the issue is more nuanced than it appears. In one of the experiments, college students were asked to rate the impact of receiving or giving a birthday gift (a pint of ice cream) either on time or two weeks late on their relationships. Results showed that those imagining themselves as givers felt that late gifts were more likely to harm the relationship than the recipients’ views. This highlights a significant divide in perceptions between givers and receivers, with givers placing more importance on meeting conventional expectations of timeliness.

Another aspect of the study examined the implications of gift content and the effort involved. Participants felt that a personally assembled gift basket could mitigate the negative effects of its lateness compared to a pre-made one. Personal effort in gift preparation can be crucial in perceiving a late gift. Yet, the study also delved into how late it is for a gift to be acceptable. Scenarios ranged from a gift being two days late to two months late. While both givers and recipients agreed that longer delays were more harmful, recipients consistently viewed the delays less critically than givers did.

The research further explored the consequences of not giving a gift at all, which both parties believed would be more detrimental to the relationship than any delay. Haltman emphasizes, “Late is definitely better than never when it comes to giving a gift,” indicating that giving, regardless of timing, holds substantial value in maintaining relationships. This insight challenges the common belief that punctuality in gift-giving is paramount, revealing that the perceived severity of not adhering to this norm is often greater among givers than recipients.

Reczek advises givers who are late with a gift to consider how they would feel receiving a gift late themselves. Based on their findings, adopting the recipient’s perspective might reduce anxiety about the potential damage caused by the lateness of a gift. This empathetic approach could help alleviate undue stress and refocus on the intention behind the gift, which is to express care and maintain relationships.

Overall, the study underscores a fundamental message: the importance of giving a gift transcends its timeliness. While timely gift-giving is ideal, the researchers highlight that givers often overestimate the negative impact of a delay. As such, the key takeaway from their research is to ensure that the gift is given, regardless of timing, reinforcing the idea that giving itself truly matters in nurturing personal connections.

More information: Cory Haltman et al, Better late than never? Gift givers overestimate the relationship harm from giving late gifts, Journal of Consumer Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/jcpy.1446

Journal information: Journal of Consumer Psychology Provided by Ohio State University