Resting gift face? Most fake their excitement during the holidays

Over half of Americans have needed to use their “resting gift face” (RGF) during the holidays — masking their disappointment with a poorly presented gift.The poll of 2,000 U.S.adults who celebrate winter holidays looked at the phenomenon of “resting gift face” RGF, which is the expression someone gives — intentionally or unintentionally — when receiving a gift that poses confusion or questions (is this a gift?) and misses the mark.Results found that over the past three years, the average person has received two gifts they simply didn’t like, with top excitement dampeners being incomplete wrapping (14%), crumpled or old materials (13%), and mismatched holiday themes (12%).But in most cases, people are likely to keep their responses cordial and polite.

Respondents said they’d be most likely to respond to the misguided gift-giver with a, “thank you for thinking of me” (27%), “I love it” (23%), or “I really appreciate this” (21%).This reflects a strong inclination to maintain positive interactions, emphasizing the importance of gratitude in gift-giving experiences, even when respondents aren’t keen on the gift in front of them.Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Scotch Brand, the survey found that avoiding eye contact is the clearest sign of gift dissatisfaction (24%).This is followed by putting on a fake smile (20%), changing the tone of their voice (16%), or talking too much about how great the gift looks (16%).Fifty-six percent of respondents skillfully conceal their disappointment with a “resting gift face,” and 57% believe they’ve mastered this art.Likewise, 53% can tell “right away” when others dislike a gift.This acute awareness may resonate with anyone who’s been in the tricky position of trying to gauge the true feelings of a gift recipient.“Resting gift face” was found to come out the most often when receiving gifts from family members (34%), significant others (29%), and friends (28%).More than half of r...