Yasmina Kattou 6:15 a.m., December 23, 2022
Receiving and giving gifts is one of the great joys of the end-of-year celebrations.
Scientifically, this phenomenon is explained by a hormone: dopamine.
It is she who gives us this feeling of reward when a loved one discovers a gift that we have chosen especially for him.
On the eve of Christmas, the gifts are for the most part carefully chosen and wrapped, waiting to be opened.
While many wait impatiently to receive their packages, a large part also waits to see the face of their loved one when they discover what has been offered to them.
This pleasure of giving is due to a neurological phenomenon.
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A sense of reward and belonging
The moment you hand your carefully wrapped gift to a loved one, you probably feel a sense of excitement.
Everything happens in the brain, at the level of the anterior prefrontal cortex… It's just behind the forehead.
"When we give someone a gift, we have the reward circuit that will activate", describes Boris Chaumette, psychiatrist and researcher in neurobiology.
"In this circuit, there are several structures, which are under the action of dopamine", he continues.
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"What is very interesting is that the circuit that makes us want to give is ultimately the same circuit that we activate when we receive a gift", underlines the researcher.
Giving a gift also allows you to consolidate your belonging to a group.
"Man is an animal that needs to live in society", recalls Boris Chaumette.
"What better way to show society when you're giving of yourself, giving gifts somewhere, you're strengthening humanity. And maybe that's what's good for the human species too ."
According to a Canadian study, the greater the expense for the other, the greater the feeling of happiness.
For small budgets, know that homemade gifts also cause a lot of pleasure.