Man and woman opening Christmas gifts (© luckybusiness - stock.adobe.com)
BATH, United Kingdom — When Nike launched its customization platform NikeID, few could have predicted it would reveal profound insights about human psychology. Now, research spanning four countries shows that personalized products trigger a fascinating emotional phenomenon called “vicarious pride.” That is, recipients of customized gifts experience the same pride their friends felt while creating them.
The study, published in the journal Psychology & Marketing, explores the psychological dynamics at play when someone receives a personalized gift.
“Gift-giving is an age-old tradition, but in today’s world, personalization has become a powerful way to make gifts stand out,” explains Dr. Diletta Acuti, a marketing expert at the University of Bath School of Management, in a statement.
When someone receives a customized gift, such as a chocolate bar with personally selected flavors or a leather journal with their name inscribed, they don’t just appreciate the thought behind it.
“You don’t just appreciate the care and intention they put into crafting that gift; you feel them,” Dr. Acuti explains.
This emotional mirroring stems from a psychological concept called simulation theory, where people mentally recreate others’ experiences and emotions. It’s similar to how sports fans feel their team’s victories and defeats as if they were on the field themselves, or how parents beam with pride at their children’s achievements. When it comes to customized gifts, recipients essentially piggyback on the gift-giver’s sense of creative accomplishment.
Through four carefully designed studies, the researchers examined this phenomenon from different angles. In their first experiment with 74 participants, they studied how people responded to customized clothing gifts. To measure appreciation objectively, recipients were asked to indicate which items, if any, they would change – a novel approach to gauging satisfaction. Those who received customized gifts wanted to make fewer changes to their presents, suggesting higher appreciation.
The second study took a different approach, showing 134 participants videos of two different gift-selection processes: one showing the customization of a T-shirt, and another showing standard gift selection through website browsing. Even when controlling for the time spent selecting the gift, customized presents consistently generated more appreciation.
In the third and fourth studies, conducted online using a mug and wristwatch as gifts, the researchers confirmed that customization not only increased appreciation but also enhanced recipients’ self-esteem. This suggests that receiving a personalized gift makes people feel more valued and special.
Interestingly, the research revealed that the time and effort spent on customization didn’t significantly impact the recipient’s appreciation. Whether the giver spent considerable time or just a few minutes personalizing the gift, recipients experienced similar levels of vicarious pride. This finding challenges common assumptions about the relationship between time invested and gift appreciation.
The study also uncovered an important caveat: relationship anxiety can diminish these positive effects. When recipients feel insecure about their relationship with the gift-giver, the benefits of customization – including vicarious pride and enhanced self-esteem – may not materialize.
For businesses, these insights suggest new opportunities in the growing customized gift market, which is projected to reach $13 billion by 2027 according to Technavio. “Using ‘made by’ signals – such as including the giver’s name, a short message about the process or a visual representation of the customization – can make things even more impactful,” suggests Dr. Acuti. “These small additions reinforce the emotional connection between the giver and the recipient.”
The research also has implications for sustainability, as the study found that recipients tend to take better care of gifts they value more. This suggests that personalization might contribute to longer product lifespans and reduced waste.
“When choosing a gift, personalization can be a game-changer. But it’s not just about selecting a customizable option: you also need to communicate that effort to your recipient. Sharing why you chose elements of the gift or the thought that went into it will make the recipient appreciate it even more. Indeed, this additional effort helps them to connect with the pride you felt in your choices, making the gift even more meaningful,” Dr. Acuti advises.
Perhaps the true magic of customized gifts isn’t in the personalization itself, but in their ability to create invisible bridges between people – emotional connections forged through shared pride and mutual recognition. In a world increasingly mediated by screens and algorithms, these moments of genuine human connection might be the most valuable gift of all.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The research consisted of four distinct studies. The first two studies involved actual pairs of friends, using snowball sampling through university students. These studies examined how recipients responded to customized versus non-customized gifts, measuring variables like vicarious pride and gift appreciation. The third and fourth studies used scenario-based experiments with participants recruited through Prolific Academic, allowing researchers to control for variables like time spent customizing and relationship anxiety. Each study used established psychological scales to measure concepts like vicarious pride, state self-esteem, and gift appreciation.
Key Results
Across all four studies, recipients consistently showed greater appreciation for customized gifts compared to non-customized ones. The first study found that recipients were less likely to want to change elements of customized gifts. The second study confirmed that this appreciation wasn’t dependent on the time and effort spent customizing. The third study demonstrated the role of state self-esteem in the process, while the fourth study revealed how relationship anxiety can moderate these effects.
Study Limitations
The first two studies had relatively small sample sizes due to the challenge of recruiting real friend pairs. The studies also focused exclusively on tangible products, leaving questions about how these effects might apply to customized experiences or services. Additionally, the research didn’t explore how failed customization attempts might impact recipient reactions.
Discussion & Takeaways
The research suggests that customization creates value beyond the physical product itself, generating psychological benefits through vicarious pride. For businesses, this implies that customization options should be simple and accessible, with emphasis placed on communicating the personalization to recipients. The findings also highlight the importance of relationship quality in gift exchange, suggesting that customized gifts might be most appropriate for secure relationships.
Funding & Disclosures
The research was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung). The study was conducted across multiple institutions including emLyon Business School, University of Bath, SKEMA Business School, and Università della Svizzera italiana.
