Have you ever splashed out (花大笔钱) on a present for someone you love, spending far more than you would on yourself?
Splashing out on close relatives may be related to evolutionary psychology. Evolutionary psychology claims that, given the level of familiarity, relatives will usually be given more.
Our emotional intelligence (or EQ) may also play a role in determining the extent to which we splash out. Those with higher EQ spent more money on gifts for others, especially people they were close to.
Yet if we splash out on friends or relatives, that may be nothing compared to what we spend on our kids. Again, this may be partly down to evolution — a desire by the old generation to help descendants(后代). Research suggests that the lower your income, the bigger part of it you spend on children, compared to more wealthy families.
A.If so, you’re not alone |
B.Besides, presents are given to cheer people up |
C.And they experienced greater happiness doing so |
D.Then a better prediction of emotions is made possible |
E.That’s because children’s needs are seen as somewhat fixed |
F.And the reason lies in our unconscious drive to spread our genes |
G.Of course, it’s not just down to evolution or EQ that we give presents |