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  • November 2015
  • Article
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

When Doing Good Is Bad in Gift-giving: Mis-predicting Appreciation of Socially Responsible Gifts

By: Lisa A. Cavanaugh, F. Gino and Gavan J. Fitzsimons
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Abstract

Gifts that support a worthy cause (i.e., "gifts that give twice"), such as a charitable donation in the recipient's name, have become increasingly popular. Recipients generally enjoy these gifts, which not only benefit others in need but also make recipients feel good about themselves. But do givers accurately predict appreciation of these types of gifts? Across three studies, we show that gift givers mis-predict appreciation for socially responsible gifts and that their mis-predictions depend on the nature of their relationship to the recipient. Drawing on research on affective forecasting and perspective taking, we propose and find that givers overestimate how much distant others appreciate socially responsible gifts because they focus more than recipients on the symbolic meaning of the gift. Critically, givers have the most to gain from distant others, in terms of strengthened relationship quality, by making better gift choices.

Keywords

Perception; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

Citation

Cavanaugh, Lisa A., F. Gino, and Gavan J. Fitzsimons. "When Doing Good Is Bad in Gift-giving: Mis-predicting Appreciation of Socially Responsible Gifts." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 131 (November 2015): 178–189.
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About The Author

Francesca Gino

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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  • You Need Two Leadership Gears: Know When to Take Charge and When to Get Out of the Way By: Lindy Greer, Francesca Gino and Robert Sutton
  • Authentic First Impressions Relate to Interpersonal, Social, and Entrepreneurial Success By: David M. Markowitz, Maryam Kouchaki, Francesca Gino, Jeffrey T. Hancock and Ryan L. Boyd
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