In a prior post we told you what gifts were identifed as the perfect gifts for women on Valentine’s Day. Now it’s the guys’ turn….
Again, we asked our survey respondents:
What is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a man to receive?
The #1 most preferred gift men want for Valentine’s Day
S-E-X. A whopping 46% of our male respondents indicated that the perfect gift for them on Valentine’s Day is sex.
And we won’t go into all the gory details, but some guys were quite specific regarding exactly what type of sex they have in mind. My eyes still burn. Think what you want, but at least it’s free, right?
The #2-#5 most preferred gifts men want for Valentine’s Day
After sex, several other gifts each received about 6% of the vote, including a “thoughtful/heartfelt card,” “jewelry,” “cologne,” and “other.” We recognize that this last gift type isn’t particularly informative, but we can say that the vast majority of gifts listed by respondents that were categorized as ‘other’ were video games or some sort of clothing.
We didn’t originally include ‘video games’ in our options, but that’s primarily because we assumed people would list things that directed attention toward the partner or relationship. Silly us. Nothing like a little Grand Theft Auto or Minecraft to get the romantic juices flowing.
In fact, given that even men appear to appreciate a good thoughtful expression of love, you might kill two birds with one proverbial stone by giving a video-game themed card.
What didn’t come up often as perfect gifts for men? Getting something living (e.g., a pet) was rarely mentioned (.1% of respondents) and only .2% said flowers.
So there you have it. In the end, it appears that a lot of the stereotypical beliefs about Valentine’s Day gifts have at least a kernel of truth to them. And, for what it’s worth, men and women seem to have a pretty firm handle on what the other gender wants the most for Valentine’s Day. Now, exactly why people hold these preferences wasn’t addressed in our survey. It’s likely that the commercialization surrounding Valentine’s Day is at least partly responsible (newsflash: every kiss begins with Kay). But I’ve yet to see the corresponding “every Valentine’s Day begins with sex” commercial targeted towards men, so there are clearly other factors at play. Regardless, if he gets what he wants for Valentine’s Day, then we recommend he read up first to make his gift mutually enjoyable. And if you’re still not sure what to get your special someone for Valentine’s Day, you could always try asking him or her.
Want to learn more about Valentine’s Day? Click over to www.ScienceOfValentinesDay.com. Interested in learning more about relationships? Click here for other topics on Science of Relationships. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get our articles delivered directly to your NewsFeed. Learn more about our book and download it here.
Dr. Tim Loving – Science of Relationships articles | Website/CV
Dr. Loving’s research addresses the mental and physical health impact of relationship transitions (e.g., falling in love, breaking up) and the role friends and family serve as we adapt to these transitions. He’s a former Associate Editor of Personal Relationships and his research has been funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 
