Choosing a Christmas gift is always a stressful time but scientists say it should be surprisingly easier than you think, claiming you should choose something you like rather than guessing what they want.

　　挑圣誕節禮物通常都會讓人感到鴨梨山大。但科學家稱挑禮物遠比你想象得簡單得多，科學家還說你應該挑你喜歡的東西而不是猜收禮物的人喜歡什么。

　　The research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology focused on answering the longstanding question: What present should I buy for Christmas and will they actually like my choice of gift?

　　一項發表在《實驗社會心理學雜志》上的研究回答了這個困擾人們很久的問題：圣誕節我應該要買什么禮物呢？他們會喜歡我挑的禮物嗎？

　　The new advice may come as surprise for some long suffering shoppers with the study, carried out by psychologists and other researchers, suggesting you don't need to overthink your presents.

　　對于那些在這上面深受折磨的人來說，一項新的建議可能會出乎他們的意料。這項由心理學家和其他研究人員所作的意見指出，你沒有必要在挑禮物上想太多。

　　It found that choosing a present which embodies the 'true self' of the giver is more likely to be in tune with the gift receiver's enjoyment of the present.

　　研究發現，挑選一份體現送禮人“真實自我”的禮物更有可能會讓收禮物的人開心。

　　Buying a present that you think someone will like often leads to disappointment for the receiver.

　　買一份你認為某人會喜歡的禮物通常會讓收禮物的人感到失望。

　　'Does anyone receive a present they actually want to keep?' said Professor Adrian Furnham, University College London psychologist.

　　倫敦大學學院心理學家艾德里安·弗恩海姆教授說：“每個人都能收到自己想要的禮物嗎？”

　　'There appears to be no relationship between the cost of a gift and the extent to which it is liked or preferred,' wrote Professor Furnham.

　　弗恩海姆教授寫到：“事實證明，禮物的貴重與否與收禮物的人對禮物的喜歡或偏好程度沒有聯系。”

　　A study in September found that when 122 university students bought iTune songs as a gift for friends, the recipient tended to like the gift more if it reflected the buyer's personal favourite music.

　　九月份一項研究發現當122名大學生從iTune上買一首歌作為禮物送給朋友時，如果這首歌是購買人個人非常喜歡的歌曲，收禮物的人一般都會更加喜歡這份禮物。

　　Second guessing what someone wants for Christmas can often lead to a loss in understanding of what those closest to you actually value.

　　反復思量一個人想要什么圣誕禮物通常會讓人意識不到那些跟你最親密之人的真正價值。

　　Professor Furnham said that the 'subtlety of the exchange' can be most easily seen when the choice of gift turns out to be completely wrong.

　　弗恩海姆教授稱，“禮物交換的微妙之處”通常在挑錯禮物的時候最容易看出來。

　　SImilarly researcher found that people who receive a generous main present as well as a smaller, cheaper gift, tend to work out the average value of the set of gifts.

　　研究人員還發現，當人們收到比較貴重的禮物附帶一些小的便宜的禮物時，通常會計算所有禮物的平均價值。

　　The cheaper present in the 'bundle gift' approach tends to devalue the price of the main gift.

　　在“一大捆”禮物當中，便宜的禮物會拉低貴重禮物的價值。

　　Researchers also gave some handy advice for couples, warning about the dangers of giving presents of great cost too early in the relationship, leading to over-hyped expectations.

　　研究人員還給情侶們提了一些很實用的建議，向他們指出過早送太貴重禮物的危險性，這通常會讓對方（對以后將收到的禮物）表現出過于夸張的期望。

　　（來源：滬江英語）