Is good gift-wrapping really all that important?

NEW YORK - Is having a nicely-wrapped holiday gift really important to the person you're shopping for this year?

According to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, not really. Researchers at the University of Nevada found that people liked gifts more if it had been wrapped messily or sloppily than if it had been wrapped neatly.

According to Assistant Professor of Marketing Jessica Rixom, when a gift is wrapped neatly, it usually tends to set one’s expectations higher, so it is more difficult for what is inside to meet or exceed that person’s expectations. 

The study also says that it depends on who you are giving the gift to as well.

“With acquaintances, they’re not looking at that box and thinking what’s the gift inside," Rixom said. "Instead they’re looking at the box and they’re thinking ‘how does this person feel about me?’”