{"id":9558,"date":"2018-04-16T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=9558"},"modified":"2023-02-10T13:58:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T18:58:52","slug":"unexpected-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy and Power Of Anytime Giving"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JoyFlowers picked from a friend\u2019s garden and left on your porch just because. A latte from your favorite coffee shop sitting on your desk when you walk in the office, for no reason at all. A package from your best friend who just couldn\u2019t resist buying you the earrings inside. Nothing fills us with little moments of unexpected joy quite like a gift given for no particular reason, at no particular time.<\/p>\n

“We enjoy things more when they positively exceed our expectations.”<\/em><\/h4>\n
\"Fresh
Surprise a friend with fresh flowers! | Image courtesy Unsplash user Ivan Jevtic<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Turns out, there\u2019s science behind that joy. According to Matt Johnson, a psychology professor at the Hult International School of Business<\/a> in San Francisco, research suggests that gifts at any time are good, but it\u2019s the unexpected gifts that leave the strongest impressions. As Johnson explains, \u201cA lot of converging evidence now suggests that we enjoy things much more when they positively exceed our expectations, and that this violation of expectation is governed by the neurotransmitter dopamine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benjamin Halpern<\/a>, author of Supercharge Your Emotions to Win<\/i>, agrees: We share six human needs, and one of them is uncertainty or surprise. Because it\u2019s a survival need, we find a way to get this need met, in some shape or form. How lucky we are if it\u2019s filled by a lover, partner, friend, or colleague\u2014because it will strengthen our relationship with that person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want to surprise someone in your life with an unexpected gift? Dr. Laura Louis<\/a>, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, says the trick is to pay attention and be intentional about what the person likes. \u201cWith unexpected gifts, you can make the other person feel loved<\/a>, appreciated, and cared for. This works really well when you don’t ask what they want and you just take note of what they\u2019ve said in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Small
Small surprises bring big joy. | Image courtesy Etsy seller AllyriaSky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Did your girlfriend love dance as a child? Surprise her with dance lessons, tickets to the ballet, or even a music box or snow globe with a tiny ballerina. Did your colleague mention his son is obsessed with baseball? Surprise him with two tickets to the next home game. Even the smallest surprises bring joy. Got a neighbor who loves chocolate? Leave a little bar of good dark chocolate in her mailbox. You\u2019ll make her day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you need some inspiration for unexpected gift giving ideas, or even expected gift giving ideas, take a look at <\/i><\/b>Elfster\u2019s Gift Guide<\/i><\/b><\/a>.  Elfster\u2019s <\/i><\/b>Facebook page<\/i><\/b><\/a> is also sure to offer some any time ideas. You can also follow Elfster on Twitter <\/i><\/b>@Elfster<\/i><\/b><\/a> and on Instagram <\/i><\/b>@Elfster<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Flowers picked from a friend\u2019s garden and left on your porch just because. A latte from your favorite coffee shop sitting on your desk when you walk in the office, for no reason at all. [read more]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2754,"featured_media":9560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[532],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gift-giving"},"yoast_head":"\nUnexpected Gifts | The Joy & Power of Anytime Giving<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the power and delight of how receiving unexpected gifts exceed our expectations, surprise us with spontaneous love and deepen relationships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy & Power of Anytime Giving\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the power and delight of how receiving unexpected gifts exceed our expectations, surprise us with spontaneous love and deepen relationships.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Good Cheer | Elfster Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/elfster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-16T13:00:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-10T18:58:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"722\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amy G\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@elfster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@elfster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amy G\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amy G\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d026892455985b81acc4d74d736283b3\"},\"headline\":\"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy and Power Of Anytime Giving\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-16T13:00:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-10T18:58:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/\"},\"wordCount\":478,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Gift Giving\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/\",\"name\":\"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy & Power of Anytime Giving\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-16T13:00:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-10T18:58:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover the power and delight of how receiving unexpected gifts exceed our expectations, surprise us with spontaneous love and deepen relationships.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg\",\"width\":722,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Surprise a friend with fresh flowers! | Image courtesy Unsplash user Ivan Jevtic.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy and Power Of Anytime Giving\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Good Cheer | Elfster Blog\",\"description\":\"Christmas Gift & Holiday Party Game Ideas\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Elfster\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elfster-text-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elfster-text-logo.svg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":37,\"caption\":\"Elfster\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/elfster\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/elfster\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elfster\",\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/elfster\",\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/elfster\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d026892455985b81acc4d74d736283b3\",\"name\":\"Amy G\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebc96f1765ff61e006c5104596d83cebf27cf8fb681956e1e5f04d37f7012f4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebc96f1765ff61e006c5104596d83cebf27cf8fb681956e1e5f04d37f7012f4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebc96f1765ff61e006c5104596d83cebf27cf8fb681956e1e5f04d37f7012f4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amy G\"},\"description\":\"Amy is a writer and editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her passions away from work include hiking Bay Area trails, traveling the world with her husband and two sons, and advocating for the wonderful but woefully underfunded California public school system. She\u2019s an avid reader and moviegoer who can\u2019t get by without a healthy and regular dose of girlfriend time. When it comes to the world of gift giving, Amy proudly admits that she\u2019s just as happy to receive as to give.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/author\/amy-g\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy & Power of Anytime Giving","description":"Discover the power and delight of how receiving unexpected gifts exceed our expectations, surprise us with spontaneous love and deepen relationships.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy & Power of Anytime Giving","og_description":"Discover the power and delight of how receiving unexpected gifts exceed our expectations, surprise us with spontaneous love and deepen relationships.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/","og_site_name":"Good Cheer | Elfster Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/elfster","article_published_time":"2018-04-16T13:00:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-10T18:58:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":722,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amy G","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@elfster","twitter_site":"@elfster","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amy G","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/"},"author":{"name":"Amy G","@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d026892455985b81acc4d74d736283b3"},"headline":"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy and Power Of Anytime Giving","datePublished":"2018-04-16T13:00:05+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-10T18:58:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/"},"wordCount":478,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg","articleSection":["Gift Giving"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/","name":"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy & Power of Anytime Giving","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-16T13:00:05+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-10T18:58:52+00:00","description":"Discover the power and delight of how receiving unexpected gifts exceed our expectations, surprise us with spontaneous love and deepen relationships.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg","width":722,"height":500,"caption":"Surprise a friend with fresh flowers! | Image courtesy Unsplash user Ivan Jevtic."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/2018\/04\/16\/unexpected-gifts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.elfster.net\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Unexpected Gifts | The Joy and Power Of Anytime Giving"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/","name":"Good Cheer | Elfster Blog","description":"Christmas Gift & Holiday Party Game Ideas","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Elfster","url":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elfster-text-logo.svg","contentUrl":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elfster-text-logo.svg","width":150,"height":37,"caption":"Elfster"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/elfster","https:\/\/x.com\/elfster","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elfster","https:\/\/pinterest.com\/elfster","https:\/\/youtube.com\/elfster"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d026892455985b81acc4d74d736283b3","name":"Amy G","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebc96f1765ff61e006c5104596d83cebf27cf8fb681956e1e5f04d37f7012f4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebc96f1765ff61e006c5104596d83cebf27cf8fb681956e1e5f04d37f7012f4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebc96f1765ff61e006c5104596d83cebf27cf8fb681956e1e5f04d37f7012f4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amy G"},"description":"Amy is a writer and editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her passions away from work include hiking Bay Area trails, traveling the world with her husband and two sons, and advocating for the wonderful but woefully underfunded California public school system. She\u2019s an avid reader and moviegoer who can\u2019t get by without a healthy and regular dose of girlfriend time. When it comes to the world of gift giving, Amy proudly admits that she\u2019s just as happy to receive as to give.","url":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/author\/amy-g\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/blogflowers.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}