If the gift doesn’t spin, then let him give the man the opportunity to spin himself

Giving gifts to men is more difficult than to women. Judge for yourself: lovely ladies have a tradition of shopping, talking about new clothes for friends, about various devices for the kitchen, interior items, new fragrances and decorations. A million unique “litmus tests” by which (with extraordinary intuition and luck) you can understand what a woman wants. A man, on the contrary, either remains silent about his desires, like a partisan, or firmly says “I want this!” Moreover, as it turns out later, he doesn’t need “this” at all. How to understand what men are silent about?

Photo: Vasily Shaposhnikov, Kommersant / buy photo

Dear Deity

The tradition of giving gifts to loved ones has religious roots. In the beginning there were sacrifices - to the deities. Then came the turn of less bloody offerings to higher powers, as well as gifts to the incarnation of the deity on earth - leaders, kings and officials. Since the times of Ancient Rome, a gift to superiors has been considered as a kind of ritual that affirms the status of the donor in society, evidence of his active civic position. Naturally, like any ritual, the presentation of gifts at that time was an extremely regulated process: there were clear lists of gifts for a particular occasion, detailed descriptions of the presentation ceremony.

Nowadays everything is more democratic, but the meaning has been preserved: a gift is, first of all, a symbol, a sign of love or respect, and not just a thing with certain dimensions, weight and value. A certain national flavor in gifts remains to this day: in the USA, gifts are often given along with a check, in Germany the best gift is money (in an envelope or in the form of a tree with real banknotes), the British give preference to cute trinkets, and the French - objects of art and books. In China, where people are shot for bribes, they treat gifts to prominent businessmen and officials very carefully. The cost of packaging (which is not considered a gift by law) can be several orders of magnitude higher than the cost of the packaged gift itself.

Psi factor

Psychologists advise women to be guided by two main criteria when choosing gifts for men. One of them is usefulness (or rather, uselessness). By the way, the understanding of benefits among women and men is completely different. In short, women are more pragmatic, but men... As reported on one of the psychological sites, “the psychology of family relationships has long begun to highlight the male mental state as something unidentified.” Hence the conclusion: gifts that seem useful to a woman (sweater, shoes, scarf, perfume) will not cause much delight in a man. But a hard drive, USB drive, portable charger or DVR as a gift is a completely different matter.

Another criterion is transformation and mobility. A gift for a man should be dynamic: spin, blink, tick, click, move, change shape... Men's craving for such gizmos manifests itself in small ways - it has been noted that the stronger sex prefers automatic umbrellas, pens with a "button" and watches with tourbillon. The stronger sex also respects tracking systems and navigators. It would seem that things are static and do not spin, but they give you the opportunity to do it yourself.

Strange things

I remember a few years ago, gift creators surprised the world with the gift of a “suitcase of socks” (in various packaging - from a case to a projectile box). The very idea of purchasing hundreds of socks amazed the world, causing delight in the male half and some (quite predictable) fears in the female half. The male audience also likes the “week” set of socks (similar to women’s panties) - all seven pairs have a base color, but each “day” has a different color for the toe and heel in one pair. For example, the socks are gray, and Monday's pair has a crimson heel and toe, Tuesday's pair has blue details, Wednesday's has red, etc.

But what about fancy socks! On the virtual shelves of online stores, things even more intricate are waiting for their lucky owner. Here are seven (lucky number) men's gifts that surprised the author:

Mask "Horse Head" - 1150 rubles. No comments. Although no: if the gift is masculine, then why horses?

Kevlar gloves - 550 rubles. According to the seller, they provide excellent protection from cuts and short-term protection from fire. Never give in the middle of a feast. Attempting to check product quality may result in serious injury.

Snow crossbow - 2390 rubles. According to the seller, it throws snowballs far and accurately. The initial velocity of the projectile and its destructive power are not indicated, which is a little annoying.

Fishing rod-handle - 1100 rubles. Dissuade the person being presented from going with this device in the company of seasoned fishermen to the Pskov province - the men will not understand.

Survival belt - 1683 rubles. According to the seller, it contains “plus” and “minus” screwdrivers, keys for 10, 12 and 14, and an opener. Apparently, the gift should be given to those men for whom a belt, in normal use, is not a way to support their pants, but a decorative accessory. Otherwise, surviving and using belt screwdrivers or wrenches at the same time is unrealistic.

Metal soap "Liquidator" - 140 rubles. The secret of soap is in a special alloy that reacts to acids and promotes the absorption of unpleasant odors. Even if true, I suggest you think more about the name.

Gift flasher (car, blue) - 1390 rubles. The target audience of the gift is not very clear. Anyone who needs such a thing for work will be given it by the state. And for those who want to spend their leisure time, the state takes it away from them. Well, ideally, of course.

Sergey Kutumov

Napoleon Bonaparte can serve as a role model for men in terms of generosity towards his beloved. Before the coronation, he presented Josephine with a tiara - a stylization of a laurel wreath with 1040 diamonds. She received jewelry as a gift more often than other things. After Josephine's death, her jewelry collection was valued at two million French francs.

What men are silent about