I generally enjoy gift shopping. Except for Christmas, when I find myself reviewing hundreds of websites, desperately looking for the perfect gift. I waste so much time considering run-of-the-mill brand recommendations that I end up doing my shopping last minute on… Amazon 😩 Yes, this makes me want to hide my presents under the tree, in the far back, hoping for a Chritsmas miracle that prevents me from having to share a heartwarming story when my sister opens her present 🙏.
Every mid December my stress hormones start to build up as my restless mind wonders if I’ll disappoint as secret Santa this year. It’s only the 14th of December when I write this blog post and I’m already freaking out, worrying how not to ruin my sister’s Christmas spirit. Like most climate-conscious 27-year-olds, she developed a hyper inquisitive mindset about the sustainability of any product she gets her hands on. You can start to imagine the kind of scrutiny my present will receive.
Add to this my recent reading up on the psychology behind gifts – yes, they represent a true reflection of the soul 😕 – and you will sympathize with my agony. According to Samuel Lepastier, PhD, disappointing gifts reflect poor judgment of the recipient’s character. Successful gifts on the other hand reflect the extent of your emotional due diligence: did you spend enough time to find that shared passion, aspiration or charitable cause? A gift as the symbol that reflects both your own as well as your recipient’s life passions. Not something I’m likely to find on Amazon..
Not this year!!
Luckily, this year I was able to score an awesome internship at Mindspeller. An exciting university spin-off that may just have found a solution for my Christmas headaches. I tried the company’s MoodSearch™ beta, and discovered they might really be on to something truly innovative.
The neuro-AI engine driving the MoodSearch app recommends authentic, ethical challenger brands that match my (or my recipient’s) moods and passions.
A moodboard based search is super intuitive to use and allows you to discover original brands that typically get hidden in the long tail of traditional search recommendations. While looking for the perfect gift using MoodSearch, one moodboard that spoke most to me (see below) lead me to discovering an interesting new brand (SPOILER ALERT, sorry, Victoria 🤭). I’m pretty confident she will not be disappointed this year. If not for the actual product itself, then certainly not for the story that will come as a package deal this year.
On behalf of the Mindspeller team, wishing you peace of mind, happy holidays and a merry Christmas🎄!
