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You know the feeling: The struggle to give your loved ones creative and meaningful gifts but are terrified of ending up with unimpressed friends and family.

Luckily, you have science. Business Insider has unearthed a study from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, which cites The Washington Post and focuses on one mistake in particular that people make. It seems that there is a disconnect between the recipient and the giver: givers focus too much on the immediate moment of exchange and how recipients will react to their gift initially, rather than how it might benefit them in the long run. Psychologically, givers are drawn toward exciting, over-the-top gifts that are fun in the moment of exchange, but in the process, they underestimate how much people typically appreciate practical and perhaps impersonal gifts (think household appliances, cookbooks or tickets to a sporting event or show).

So don’t let gift giving become a stressful situation this holiday season. Just remember, give what you would want to receive; not what you think would make a momentary splash while opening presents.