Inception DVD - Jungian symbolism, action adventure and Leonardo DiCaprio!
A subscription to Scientific American Mind magazine.
"I'm statistically significant" and other stats-themed t-shirts.
Memento DVD - the best amnesia movie that we can remember.
The Force Trainer - Become a Jedi: wireless headset interprets your brainwaves and moves an object.
"Connect it" brain/usb t-shirt.
Mindflex brainwave game - go head to head with a friend.
A subscription to The Psychologist magazine.
Serotonin necklace.
Freudian slippers.
Dopamine t-shirt.
Inflatable brain.
Ramon y Cajal t-shirt.
Make a donation to Mind - the UK's leading mental health charity.
The best psychology books of 2011 (and there's always the new Rough Guide to Psychology by the editor of the Research Digest!)
Gift-giving research
If in doubt, give them what they want. A study published this year suggested people prefer receiving what they asked for, rather than a surprise gift.
Don't bundle your gifts. Gift receivers rate a single high-value gift more positively than a big gift bundled with a stocking filler.
This study, from 2002, found that money was a poor gift because it doesn't convey meaningful information about intimacy and can send the wrong message about the relative status between gift giver and receiver.
Be careful when buying a gift for your man. A study from 2008 found that men responded to dud gifts more negatively than women.
Given the choice, people seem to prefer receiving gifts of plenty and practicality over exclusivity.
Finally, don't forget to say thank you, even if you don't like the gift you've been given.
Merry Christmas!
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Post compiled by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest. Many of the gift ideas were found via mindhacks.com
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