Experiential gifts and the construal of meaningful consumption episodes

Abstract 
The examination of the affective consequences of the consumption of experiential and material gifts has increased in recent years, yet the attention paid to gratitude has been limited. Consequently, in five experiments, we tested the influence of type of gift, experiential versus material, on gratitude and social connection by increasing the construal of meaningful memories coming from the consumption of experiential gifts. In experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to either an experiential gift consumption or material gift consumption condition and completed questionnaires assessing gratitude and social connection. Results showed that experiential gifts elicited greater gratitude, which then had a positive relationship with social connection. In experiment 2, participants were randomly assigned to the same conditions as study 1 and completed questions about the meaningfulness of the consumption memory and gratitude. Results showed that the consumption of experiential gifts elicited greater construal of meaningful memories, which then had a positive relationship with gratitude. In experiments 3 and 4, we manipulated the meaningfulness of gifts, special versus ordinary, and assessed the meaningfulness of the consumption memory and gratitude, with the addition of social connection in study 4. Results showed that special gifts were construed as more meaningful memories, which then had a positive relationship with gratitude. In addition, we also found a positive relationship between gratitude and social connection in study 4. Study 5 showed that the mediation effect of the construal of meaningful memories on the relationship between type of gift and gratitude was not moderated by whether the gift was special or ordinary.