5 ways to give better gifts

For some, the creativity that goes into finding a perfect gift is meaningful. For others, it's stressful.

But this year, finding the perfect present might not be so difficult with the help of a few psychologists.

Here are five things to consider when deciding what to get for someone this holiday season, according to research reported by the Wall Street Journal:

1. Know when less is more

Have you ever given an expensive gift paired with a lesser expensive gift? Researchers say that's not the way to go. The smaller gift detracts from the more important gift and decreases the value of the more expensive gift to the recipient.

If someone was to "bundle together a larger item like a Le Creuset Dutch oven with some smaller items like a spatula or potholders, the more-is-better strategy backfires," said Dr. Kimberlee Weaver, associate professor of marketing at Virginia Tech.

People "average the values of the individual components when forming an impression of the bundle overall," she said.

2. Give a little piece of yourself

3. Be careful when gifting to men

One study shows that giving a bad gift to a man, makes him feel less similar to you. Feeling dissimilar can negatively affect the man's perception of a relationship's future. 

4. You might not want to give in the recipient's name

Lots of people consider giving charitable donations in someone elses name. But according to a report in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, gift-givers overestimate how much recipients will appreciate these donations.

“Recipients think it says more about you than about your commitment to them," said Lisa Cavanaugh, assistant professor of marketing at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. "One spouse actually said, 'It showed me he cared about the world but he didn’t care about me.’”

The study revealed that most recipients would even prefer a “really mundane tangible gift” like a travel mug.

If you think a charitable donation is definitely the way to go, consider giving a gift card from an organization so that the recipient can pick which charity to give the funds to.

5. When in doubt, still give something

If you don't know what to get, don't give up. It's better to get something rather than nothing. You'll feel better, and the gift-recipient will be thankful.

People "are happier spending money on others than themselves," said Dr. Lara Aknin, an assistant professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University and fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.