Washington: A new study has found that people often overestimate how often would they use holiday gifts in daily life.
According to researchers, people don’t use the new gadgets they own as much as they think they will.
“People make optimistic predictions about themselves,” said Jeffrey Vietri, instructor of psychology at Albright College in Reading, Pa and author of a new study.
“They expect relationships to last longer, tasks to take less time and things to turn out generally better than they will. And when they ask for a waffle-maker for Christmas, they think, “I’ll use this all the time!
“But sometimes the reality of owning an object doesn’t quite measure up to our expectations.
“The cappuccino machine is a hassle to clean, the fancy navigation system is not necessary for most driving, and no one has time to play the new piano,” Vietri added.
In the study, 164 participants made predictions between Thanksgiving and mid-December on how often they would use an item they hoped to receive as a gift during the upcoming holiday season.
They found that the gifts – no matter how longed for – were not used as often as predicted.
“Fifty-nine percent of gifts were used less frequently than the recipients had expected to use them,” he said.
“Recipients predicted that the gifts would be used close to twice as frequently as they actually were,” he added.
Vietri says consumers might want to think about this before making another addition to their already crowded drawers and countertops.
“Overspending and clutter are a predictable result of acquiring something with the mistaken belief you will use the item more often than you actually will,” he said.
“Maybe a small step toward solving the problems of savings, clutter and the environment is to consult with others about our purchases and take their prediction seriously,” he added.
The study is published in the journal Social Influence.
ANI
