Touched by the Past: The Giver-Receiver Asymmetry in the Appreciation of Upcycled Gifts

Gift-giving is a complex social practice that involves selecting, exchanging, and evaluating items intended to express care, strengthen relationships, and fulfill social obligations. The growing circular economy introduces a new dimension to this practice through upcycled products—items created from repurposed materials. Despite the upcycled goods market being valued at $49 billion, little research has examined their role in social exchanges. This study addresses this gap by examining the asymmetry between the giver and receiver in the evaluation of upcycled gifts.

Across three studies, we find that givers systematically underestimate recipients' appreciation for upcycled gifts. This discrepancy is primarily driven by givers’ heightened concerns about contamination. While givers focus on the repurposed nature of these products, recipients emphasize the thoughtfulness of the gesture and the strengthening of their relationship with the giver, which mitigates concerns about perceived contamination. However, this asymmetry diminishes when the upcycled gift requires frequent physical contact (e.g., phone cases, notebooks). In these cases, the haptic interaction makes the repurposed nature of the product more salient to recipients, triggering contamination concerns and reducing their appreciation to levels similar to those of givers. Thus, while recipients generally value gifts, including prosocial ones, perceptions of cleanliness can still undermine their appreciation under certain conditions.

These findings deepen understanding of how perceptions of cleanliness and sustainability shape social exchange and provide practical insights into promoting sustainable consumption through gift-giving.