How to reciprocate with love? The impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction.

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Title: How to reciprocate with love? The impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction.
Authors: Liang, Shichang1, Zhu, Huijie1, Chen, Wenrong1 1062030344@qq.com, Deng, Wanshan1, He, Junyan1, Zhou, Yizheng1, Fu, Hongjie1
Source: Family Relations (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Jul2026, Vol. 75 Issue 3, p2092-2111. 20p.
Subject Terms: *Mediation, Marital satisfaction, Gifts, Happiness, Social bonds
Abstract: Objective: This study explored what type of gifts (material vs. experiential) can enhance marital satisfaction, and how the type of gift affects marital satisfaction among couples. Background: Previous research on marital satisfaction focused mostly on the "contextual effects" of couples' interactions, with little attention to the "event‐specific effects" of gift‐giving. This study employed a new perspective to research the impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction, offering theoretical insights into gift‐giving practices and a fresh perspective on promoting family happiness and harmony. Method: This study relied on a systematic literature review to propose three hypotheses, incorporating self‐construal into the research framework. We recruited 403 participants for three experiments to examine the impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction and the moderating role of self‐construal. Results: This research showed that material gifts, compared to experiential ones, better improved marital satisfaction with emotional intensity as a mediator. Additionally, self‐construal moderated the effect of gift type on marital satisfaction, which is different from prior studies suggesting experiential gifts strengthen social bonds. Conclusion: The current study suggests that couples should consider material gifts or highlight their material attributes (like the lasting nature of marital affection) during gift‐giving to enhance marital satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Family Relations (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 194549541
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: How to reciprocate with love? The impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Liang%2C+Shichang%22">Liang, Shichang</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhu%2C+Huijie%22">Zhu, Huijie</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Wenrong%22">Chen, Wenrong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> 1062030344@qq.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Deng%2C+Wanshan%22">Deng, Wanshan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22He%2C+Junyan%22">He, Junyan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhou%2C+Yizheng%22">Zhou, Yizheng</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fu%2C+Hongjie%22">Fu, Hongjie</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Family+Relations+%28John+Wiley+%26+Sons%2C+Inc%2E%29%22">Family Relations (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 75 Issue 3, p2092-2111. 20p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mediation%22">Mediation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Marital+satisfaction%22">Marital satisfaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gifts%22">Gifts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Happiness%22">Happiness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+bonds%22">Social bonds</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: This study explored what type of gifts (material vs. experiential) can enhance marital satisfaction, and how the type of gift affects marital satisfaction among couples. Background: Previous research on marital satisfaction focused mostly on the "contextual effects" of couples' interactions, with little attention to the "event‐specific effects" of gift‐giving. This study employed a new perspective to research the impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction, offering theoretical insights into gift‐giving practices and a fresh perspective on promoting family happiness and harmony. Method: This study relied on a systematic literature review to propose three hypotheses, incorporating self‐construal into the research framework. We recruited 403 participants for three experiments to examine the impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction and the moderating role of self‐construal. Results: This research showed that material gifts, compared to experiential ones, better improved marital satisfaction with emotional intensity as a mediator. Additionally, self‐construal moderated the effect of gift type on marital satisfaction, which is different from prior studies suggesting experiential gifts strengthen social bonds. Conclusion: The current study suggests that couples should consider material gifts or highlight their material attributes (like the lasting nature of marital affection) during gift‐giving to enhance marital satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Family Relations (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/fare.70167
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 20
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    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Mediation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Marital satisfaction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gifts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Happiness
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      – SubjectFull: Social bonds
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      – TitleFull: How to reciprocate with love? The impact of gift‐giving on marital satisfaction.
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            NameFull: Liang, Shichang
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            NameFull: Zhu, Huijie
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            NameFull: Chen, Wenrong
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            NameFull: Deng, Wanshan
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            NameFull: He, Junyan
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            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: Jul2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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