Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 10 or so years, you’ll probably have noticed that today’s teens are often accused of being the most materialistic and brand-oriented in history. But what can you do about it without sounding like Nanny McPhee?

Well, a couple of US professors have writted a paper on “Interpersonal Influences on Adolescent Materialism: A New Look at the Role of Parents and Peers”.

It suggests (no, really, this’ll surprise ya!) that parents and peers are in a strong position to reduce their teenagers’ love affair with material possessions.

The study suggests that parents can basically wean their kids off all those expensive luxury goods and tech accessories simply by providing emotional support and psychological wellbeing, which, when you think about it, is kinda what parents were invented for in the first place.

The study also politely points out that materialistic kids are more than likely to have materialistic parents, or, to put it more bluntly… what goes around, comes around.

It’s mostly because of low self-esteem that people, especially teens, turn to material possessions in the first place.

Supportive and nurturing parents will therefore benefit two-fold; their kids will be happier and more well-adjusted and their houses won’t be cluttered with expensive crap. See, it’s win-win.

When it comes to gift baskets, men and women have somewhat different reasons, tastes and budgets according to a recent gift baskets survey by online gift retailer It’s In The Stars.

Men buy more gift baskets for colleagues, clients, employees
While both sexes buy gift baskets for friends (82.1% of men vs 78.4% of women) and family (69.2% vs 74.8%), men are far more likely than women to buy them for colleagues (64.1% vs 36.0%), clients (64.1% vs 21.6%), and employees (35.9% vs 18.0%).

Gift baskets are an easy, no-fuss gift option
Since women are regarded by both sexes as better gift-buyers, it may be no surprise that more women than men see gift baskets as easy, no-fuss gift options (72.3% vs 64.1%). Women are more likely than men to believe that gift baskets make an impressive-looking gift (67.0% vs 51.3%).

Nonetheless, since men buy gift baskets for a much wider range of celebratory events than women, have more cash to spend, and often forget birthdays and anniversaries, this may explain why they are more likely than women to view gift baskets as last-minute emergency gift options (59.0% vs 49.1%), fun (53.8% vs 50.9%) and affordable (48.7% vs 25.9%).

Men spend more than women on gift baskets
Three in four men (76.9%) spend over $100 on gift baskets with their top five inclusions being gift certificates (71.8%), jams & spreads (64.1%), chocolates & sweets and champagne/wine/spirits (61.5% each), and BBQ food & accessories (59.0%).

Two-thirds of women (66.7%) spend under $100, typically selecting gift baskets with chocolates (69.4%), champagne/wine/spirits (60.4%), baby toys & clothing (57.7%), bath/beauty/body products (55.9%), and flowers (50.5%).

Men more likely to buy gift baskets with gift certificates
Chocolate and champagne are perennially popular gift basket inclusions for everyone but since men spend much more on gift baskets than women,  it would seem they might also have the money to include gift certificates to extend the gift experience for the recipient with 71.0% of men including gift certificates vs only 22.5% of women.

They are also far more willing to spend more on a gift basket that includes a personalised gift than women (89.5% vs 76.1%).

Men and women have different occasions for gift baskets
The top five most popular gift occasions for men to give gift baskets are Christmas (73.0%), birthdays (67.6%), Mother’s Day (59.5%), and Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day (56.8% each) while the top five gift basket occasions for women are new babies (74.1%), birthdays (65.7%), Christmas (55.6%), and Mother’s Day and housewarmings/new homes (36.1% each).

Overall, the top three gift basket occasions are new babies (69.0%), birthdays (66.2%) and Christmas (60.0%).

The only two gift occasions where men and women buy in near-identical rates are birthdays (67.6% vs 65.7%), and housewarmings/new homes (37.8% vs 36.1%).

Men and women are equally likely to buy gift baskets with champagne/wine/spirits (61.5% vs 60.4%), bath/beauty/body products (56.4% vs 55.9%), and fruit (30.8% vs 30.6%).

Ladies, ever wonder why your fellas always seem to be buying you the same kinds of gifts, year in and year out (and hey, if it comes in that little robin’s egg blue box, don’t complain – and does he have a brother?) while you’re much more likely to travel far and wide in search of that perfect item for him?

It’s got nothing to do with laziness, lack of imagination or even a chronic dislike of shopping. It’s in their biology. Yes that’s right, the poor poppets can’t really help it.

New research from Europe suggests that while both men and women display loyalty in fairly equal measure, women are more people-oriented with their loyalty, men focus more on brands and products, even places.

Not convinced? Well, the clearest and most obvious example is the well-known propensity for women to follow a favourite, trusted hairdresser to a different salon. Men are more likely to remain with the same hairdressing business regardless of who is cutting their hair to smithereens.

It also explains why women’s clothing stores only have one or two assistants while men’s clothing stores are swarming with them. Female consumers look for an interdependent human connection when they go shopping and if they like the store, often become very friendly with the manager, who will call them personally when their favourite designer’s stock has arrived.

Men, who operate on a search-destroy-kill mission just like cavemen when it comes to shopping, are loyal only to the brand or make/model of the product itself. They just want to pay for it and get the hell out so male-focused shops have numerous assistants to help speed their process along. There’s no need for friendship or even depth of interaction here.

Male brand loyalty may explain why he still wears Levis 501s – 20 years after their heyday – or like my stepfather insisted on wearing safari suits well into the 80s even though he wasn’t attending a fancy-dress party.

We all love a good David & Goliath story, right? Heroic “ordinary” figures (like unemployed single mum Erin Brokovich), who, despite their apparent disadvantages, can still take on a powerful opponent and give it a good kick up the backside.

In fact, the more you look, the more these inspirational figures keep popping up, in one unlikely form or another; in religion, sport, politics (“yes we can!”), art, movies and all other forms of popular culture. Well here’s the rub – it even happens when we go shopping.

It seems that when it comes to marketing and brand power, big may be more noticeable, but small can still pull a few surprising punches of its own, according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Consumers love the underdog, and often feel a personal connection towards brands they perceive as having had to work harder than their larger competitors just to be noticed.

The study suggests that this apparent empathy is because most of us have, at one time or another, been the underdog ourselves, and can therefore relate to a brand or product that might be a bit behind the eight ball. It also explains why so many large companies are so ready and willing to emphasise their humble beginnings, real or embellished.

This beating-the-odds-with-sheer-passion-and-determination thing has always made for a great story, but many of us might be surprised to find that it’s so pervasive, even in the shopping malls and on the supermarket shelves.

And if you’re still not quite convinced, the study’s authors report that participants were offered a choice of chocolate bar as part of their payment. A whopping 71% of them chose the underdog brand.

Something to think about when you’re choosing your next gift?

Movies and TV shows nearly always depict marital breakdown as the result of conflict. Steamy extra-marital affairs and the resulting tearful confrontations, hurled crockery and melodramatically smashed wedding portraits are typical scenes.

But a new US study suggests that marriage breakdown is more likely due to simple, long-term boredom. (Just one factor is giving @#$* flowers every Valentine’s Day, or socks and jocks for Father’s Day or “forgetting” their birthday - I mean, come on!)

The findings are the result of a nine-year study by researchers at the University of Michigan and Stony Brook University, who conducted interviews with 123 couples in the seventh year of their marriages, then nine years later in year 16.

The researchers found that relationship quality over the long-term depended on how bored the couple was at year seven.

However, not being bored at the seven-year mark didn’t necessarily guarantee that boredom wouldn’t occur some time over the following nine years. This suggests what any successfully married long-term couple could tell you: keeping boredom out of a marriage is something that requires constant vigilance.

The couples, all in their first marriages, were asked whether they considered their marriages to be in a rut and how often they did exciting things together as a couple. Those who expressed greater dissatisfaction in year 16 also reported corresponding higher levels of boredom.

The researchers concluded that couples who were experiencing less and less satisfaction with their marriages over time could possibly reverse the situation by participating in exciting activities together to increase the general level of excitement and spontaneity and eliminate boredom, which undermines closeness.

In a couple’s astrological compatibility chart, the level of excitement your relationship enjoys can be indicated by a few astrological factors.

Too many aspects involving Saturn indicate you can easily get stuck in a rut from complacency, fear (“what would the neighbours think?!”) and lack of imagination. Since Saturn is all about accountability (amongst other things) you could view doing exciting new things as KPIs to be met. An overabundance of Moon aspects suggests you want to curl up at home, which is cosy, but rarely exciting. Well, everyone goes a little crazy at the Full Moon – so once a month, make use of it!

Jupiter aspects add joy. The house your Jupiter is in your partner’s chart, and vice versa, shows where you can have fun and laugh with each other. Mars aspects create energy and sexual tension. It’s well-known that going on a rollercoaster (or any other activity which raises your adrenalin levels) ripens the mood for romance – “ahh, hold me!”

For pure excitement you need to look to the planet of rebellion,  Uranus (yeah, alright, stop the jokes already) which rules shocks, surprises and revolutions.

Having a number of Uranian aspects in your compatibility chart provides the electricity every couple needs. Uranus doesn’t care what the neighbours think and prefers to be an individual. Being innovative is key. A number of Uranian aspects suggest you will have temporary separations, probably due to work, family or social commitments. But hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? With Uranus you never get bored. Freaked-out, maybe.

How can you surprise your partner?

Research has found that comfortable and familiar things from the past can have a powerfully reassuring effect on us, especially when we might feel left out and crave a sense of belonging.

A scientific study recently published in the US’s Journal of Consumer Research, explains why despondent consumers often reach for nostalgic products or images to lift their spirits, rather than their more contemporary counterparts.

This can come in the form of old TV shows and movies, food, drink and other treats, books, car brands and even commonplace items like shampoo and shower gel. In each case the consumer is searching for an emotional crutch rather than the fulfillment of a more practical requirement.

The study’s authors, Katherine E. Loveland and Naomi Mandel from Arizona State University and Dirk Smeesters from Erasmus University in the Netherlands experimented with different situations that were designed to make some participants feel left out. The excluded participants selected nostalgic products over contemporary products, in surprisingly direct proportions to their feelings of needing to belong.

So when do people feel left out? It depends of course on their basic personality, but typical one gift occasion when people feel a real need to belong are housewarmings, when they’ve moved somewhere new and literally need to feel they’re part of the community. Home-baked cakes and cookies always go down a treat.

For others, it could be Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, particularly if the parent is divorced or widowed. This is not the time to buy them something funky and new, but something reassuringly familiar. Is that why retro kitchen appliances are so popular?

While mothers are busy getting all the baby gifts, some fathers can feel left out when their child is born – as can the older siblings. A fun item that harks back to their golden years can go down very well.

The Journal of Consumer Research has another interesting study regarding the psychology behind some of the decisions we make as consumers. It claims that certain brands have characteristics, or rather perceived characteristics, which make us feel better about ourselves when we use their products.

Since most of us would like to feel more glamorous, good-looking, confident and intelligent we subconsciously seek these qualities in the consumer brands we choose to associate with in our daily life. It’s this desire to cultivate positive qualities and attributes that lies behind the success and consumer popularity of some well-known brands such as Nike, Cartier and Harley-Davidson.

An engagement gift presented in a Tiffany box has a very different impact on the recipient than one from Target, in the same way that gift cards given at Christmas for clothing from Ralph Lauren will get a very different response than ones for Ripcurl.

Why? The authors of the study, Deborah Roedder and Ji Kyung Park from the University of Minnesota, describe these brands as having “personalities” with distinct traits that consumers respond to. “Using brands with appealing personalities can rub off on the way consumers see themselves, even if the brand is used for only a short time,” the authors say.

It’s this personification of brands that lies beneath their appeal, which confirms what we’ve already known all along – that is, how crucial good marketing of a brand or product can be in its success. Just as humans with appealing personalities tend to be popular, the same can apply to certain brands.

Another interesting observation that came out of the studies was that there appear to be two different types of consumers. The first type believes their personal character traits are fixed and can only be enhanced by association with certain appealing brands, while the second type believes their personality traits are mutable and can therefore be cultivated through self-improvement.

This second consumer profile is therefore less likely to be influenced by the perceived appeal of certain brands, the authors claim.

Either way, it goes some way to explaining why some people “wouldn’t be seen dead” wearing/eating/reading/using Brand X but will go to ridiculous lengths to obtain Brand Y that makes them feel a certain way. If you’re not sure of their taste, ask some questions!

In the potentially controversial and socially delicate matter of who to invite to your approaching nuptials and who to leave off that ever-expanding list, here’s a recently unearthed little statistical gem that may help you with your decision-making:  Scottish people spend the most on wedding gifts.

We’re joking, of course. Not about the statistic itself, which is among the actual findings of a recent study conducted by Moneysupermarket Vouchers in the UK, but at the outrageous suggestion that people are included on a wedding guest list primarily because of their spending capacity…

The study, which was conducted in June 2010 and canvassed the opinions of 3,000 UK adults, also found that wedding guests in general now spend roughly a third less on gifts than they did two years ago, the average now sitting at £28.26, down from £42.91 in 2008. A result of the Global Financial Crisis, maybe? And it appears that 2009 was the worst year, with the spending average at a low of £26.71 per wedding gift.

But back to those generous Scots. Is it something in the water? Something in the haggis? Whatever the reason, their spending average on wedding gifts topped the list at £40.48, almost £10 more than Londoners, who came in at second place.

Natives of Yorkshire were the most stingy (or maybe just cash-strapped), who budgeted only £23.15 on gifts. Still, this was an improvement on their spending last year of a miserly £19.08, so the research results indicate. There also seemed to be an age factor at work, as people over 55 spent almost double the amount (more than £40) as people in the 18-24 age group (£24).

So if you’re in the throes of wrangling over the wedding guest list, these survey results clearly indicate what kind of crowd will yield the best gift booty – stick to Scottish people born before 1955. Simple.

Have you ever sent a gift basket? If you have, who was it for? What was the gift occasion ie a new baby, Christmas, a housewarming, engagement gift or Mother’s Day – or was there some other reason you wanted to celebrate?

If you’ve never sent one, what items would you include? Chocolate? Champagne? Baby items? Flowers? Gift certificates?

Take a minute to fill out a fun gift baskets survey and you’ll receive a $20 gift certificate code to spend towards any astrology report on http://www.itsinthestarsonline.com.

The survey is at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GiftBasketsSurvey. The survey closes 31 July 2010.

While no-one doubts the formidable cost of putting on a wedding, from the gold-trimmed invitations right through to flowers and catering and photographer, recent survey results in the UK now indicate what hundreds and thousands of people have known for years, it can also be expensive just attending a wedding as a guest.

Woody Allen famously said that ninety percent of life is just showing up. In the case of weddings, that showing up can be costly, even if your carefully-selected wedding gift was, ahem, secretly obtained on eBay as a bargain.

A recent wedding cost survey by Direct Line, an arm of the insurance division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, found that wedding costs have soared over the years, costing on average somewhere in the neighbourhood of £215 per person, which includes transport, clothing, accommodation, childcare and other more hidden incidentals that can quickly add up, such as drinks at the reception and taxi fares.

Then add the cost of the wedding gift itself, which, according to the survey results, sits at about £80. The survey also revealed some interesting and surprising trends. Men generally reported spending more on wedding gifts than women – £85 compared to £73 (which just confirms my view that’s it’s always good to invite more men than women)!

Just over half of the respondents said they would prioritize their finances so they could help celebrate their friends’ nuptials, with 52% saying they would forsake some other personal expense so that they could still be generous at the wedding. A smaller proportion (44%) said they would buy a cheaper wedding gift, while only 17% said they would actually decline the invitation for financial reasons, giving some other excuse. Only 12% said they would admit to the happy couple that they couldn’t afford to attend.

Some people (7%) said they’d still join in the happy event but wouldn’t bring a gift. Hopefully the happy couple have bouncers at the reception blocking such freeloaders.