Researcher Shares Insight on Selfish Gifts
Professor of Marketing and Management Deborah Y. Cohn, Ph.D., M.B.A., was featured in the article “The Surprisingly Selfish Reason People Give Terrible Gifts.� Cohn, who has researched why consumers purchase bad gifts, explains that typical bad gift-giving habits stem from pure self-centeredness, like picking out headphones for your spouse that you intend to use or wanting bragging rights for presenting the splashiest gift at the party.
These kinds of gift-giving behaviors aren’t mistakes, and they aren’t innocent, Cohn contends. “It’s selfish,� she says. “It’s thinking more about yourself than the recipient, and people can see right through it.�