{"id":3066,"date":"2017-09-12T08:50:02","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T08:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/?p=3066"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:26:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:26:26","slug":"the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone\/","title":{"rendered":"The Magic Formula behind finding the perfect gift for anyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you often struggle to find the right gift for someone, or feel that there are people that it\u2019s just impossible to satisfy? Here\u2019s the answer.<\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, the department store chain Debenhams worked with a Professor of Fashion Psychology, Karen Pine, to uncover the secret behind finding someone the perfect Christmas gift<\/a>. With the nights begin to draw in, many of will be starting to think already about what to get our loved ones, so we think it\u2019s a good time to take another look at it.<\/p>\n

\"\"

(L x 2) + O + E2 – PD + EM = PP<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

L= Listening<\/strong><\/p>\n

O = Observation<\/strong><\/p>\n

E = Effort<\/strong><\/p>\n

PD = Personal Desire<\/strong><\/p>\n

EM = Empathy<\/strong><\/p>\n

PP = Perfect Present<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you can see, cost is not a factor in the formula – the amount you spend on a person has little to do with the success of your gift. Another point to remember is that there is no seasonality in this formula. It doesn\u2019t just apply to Christmas. It\u2019s just as suitable for finding someone the perfect gift at Thanksgiving, for a honeymoon, wedding, birthday or retirement.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go into a little more detail\u2026<\/p>\n

Listening<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Lx2) – This is all about picking up on the hints that someone is dropping for you, consciously or unconsciously, about something they would like to have or do. It might be while you\u2019re out shopping with your partner, idly browsing online in the evening or just throwing around ideas for your personal bucket lists. The reason it\u2019s x2 is because you also need to be listening out for what\u2019s not<\/em> being said, but still could be relevant – subtle hints. Another useful point to take in is when they mention seeing the ideal gift for someone else, as this could be a clue they might like it for themselves.\"Listening

O – This is perhaps the most important part of the formula because it requires you to observe the nature of the person you\u2019re buying for. The Debenhams research suggests watching their face as they look at things to see what makes their eyes light up, but we think it\u2019s an idea to go a little deeper. Think about that person\u2019s personality. Are they the type that prefers a practical gift, or enjoys an element of surprise? Do they value physical possessions such as jewellery or books, or are they more of a \u2018doing person\u2019, in which case an experience gift<\/a> from our collection might be more suitable.<\/p>\n

Effort<\/strong><\/p>\n

E2 – A little effort goes a long way, but twice as much effort goes even further. When you\u2019ve put a lot of time, thought and energy into finding someone the right gift, it\u2019s obvious. When Nicolas Cage was wooing Patricia Arquette, she gave him a list of \u2018impossible\u2019 tasks <\/a>to prove his love to her which he had to complete before she agreed to marry him – they included an autograph from J.D. Salinger and a wedding dress from a Tibetan tribe. With a little cheating he got there, and the rest is history (actually their marriage didn\u2019t last too long but never mind that).<\/p>\n

Personal Desire<\/strong><\/p>\n

-PD – When finding the perfect present for someone it\u2019s important to take yourself out of the equation. You might see something that you think is fantastic, and assume that the recipient will feel the same way, but this is a mistake. Personal desire shouldn\u2019t obscure the listening and observation stages.\"Personal

EM – This stage requires you to put yourself in the place of the person receiving the gift. Imagine how they will feel on receiving it – curiosity? amusement? pure joy? What is the emotion you\u2019re hoping to inspire with this present? Sometimes the best gift of all is something that actually costs you very little but holds a special meaning for the two of you.\"Perfect

Valentine\u2019s Experience Gift Ideas<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Valentines Day Experience Gifts<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Valentines Day Gifts for Her<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Valentines Day Gifts for Him<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Atlanta<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Houston<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Denver<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Dinner in Cape Town<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Seattle<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Las Vegas<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Dinner in Las Vegas<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Chicago<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Dinner in Nashville<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Dinner in Los Angeles<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
<\/a>Valentines Day Gifts in Miami<\/mark><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you often struggle to find the right gift for someone, or feel that there are people that it\u2019s just impossible to satisfy? Here\u2019s the answer. A couple of years ago, the department store chain Debenhams worked with a Professor of Fashion Psychology, Karen Pine, to uncover the secret behind finding someone the perfect Christmas gift. With the nights begin to draw in, many of will be starting to think already about what to get our loved ones, so we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":7853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[722,724,720,721,725,723,719],"class_list":["post-3066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gifts","tag-effort","tag-empathy","tag-listening","tag-observation","tag-perfect-present","tag-personal-desire","tag-the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Magic Formula behind finding the perfect gift for anyone - Tinggly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unlock the secret to finding the perfect gift for anyone with our magic formula that guarantees smiles every time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Magic Formula behind finding the perfect gift for anyone - Tinggly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unlock the secret to finding the perfect gift for anyone with our magic formula that guarantees smiles every time.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tinggly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-12T08:50:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-26T14:26:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/stephanie-mccabe-nTqbkNSxICw-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Goda\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Goda\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tinggly.com\/journal\/the-magic-formula-behind-finding-the-perfect-gift-for-anyone\/\",\"name\":\"The Magic Formula behind finding the perfect gift for anyone - 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