Via ScienceDaily:
Christmas is around the corner and many of us will be thinking of what to buy our loved ones (or ourselves) this festive holiday
But what is the psychology behind gift-giving?
Early results from research led by Dr Aiden Gregg from the University of Southampton, have shown that people with narcissistic tendencies want to purchase products, both for others and for themselves, that positively distinguish them — that is, that make them stand out from the crowd.
The study — conducted in collaboration with McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management and Hanyang University in South Korea — investigated why narcissistic consumers chose certain products and how those products made them feel. Volunteers from both the universities in South Korea or Canada took part in one of four studies.
The first study, using online questionnaires, asked participants about their consumer buying behaviour — for example, why they bought certain products and how doing so made them feel.
