In this episode of Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam explores the art of gift-giving through insights from researcher Jeff Galak. The discussion emphasizes the emotional impact of gifts, the importance of thoughtfulness, and common pitfalls in holiday gifting. It reveals that gifts often do not align with recipient preferences, leading to diminished value and social obligations complicating relationships. Solutions for better gifting include understanding recipient preferences, utilizing gift registries, and focusing on experiential and sentimental gifts, which tend to foster deeper connections. Interestingly, gifts given spontaneously hold more emotional weight, reinforcing the bonds between giver and recipient.