The saying "Better late than never" has been examined through scientific methods.

Many "folk wisdoms," formulated based on everyday experiences, have been confirmed or refuted by scientific research. For instance, authors of recent studies examined statements such as "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" and "Pessimists are always either right or pleasantly surprised".

Experts from Ohio State University (USA) and the Israel Institute of Technology (Israel) sought to determine how detrimental it is to relationships with loved ones to give gifts late, after the holiday date. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

In six surveys conducted by the authors of the publication, a total of 3,887 adult Americans participated. When respondents were asked if a birthday or holiday gift should be delivered on time, they affirmed this in 65% of cases. However, in later stages of the research, when specific situations were considered, opinions varied.

The main outcome of the study was a pattern showing that givers perceive a late gift as a more serious threat to relationships than recipients do. Imagining themselves as the "late giver," people feared that a belated gift would be seen as a lack of care for the loved one. At the same time, respondents believed that a thoughtful, personalized gift (for example, a customized gift set rather than a store-bought one) would be less likely to harm relationships if it were late.

"One of the key social functions of gift-giving is to demonstrate care for the recipient, so it’s not surprising that people fear negative consequences for relationships if they are late with a gift. <…> Respondents felt that if they put in extra effort when choosing a gift and made it more personalized, it could compensate for the lateness," the authors of the article noted.

Those who discussed receiving gifts were much more relaxed about late presents than the "givers." Survey results showed that a tardy greeting was not perceived as less pleasant and did not cause the gift recipient to harbor ill feelings toward the person who presented it. However, the risk of relationship deterioration increased in proportion to the delay: a two-day delay posed less risk than a delay of two weeks or two months. Respondents identified the most serious threat to relationships as the absence of a gift for a significant event, even after a long time.

Researchers also emphasized that each person can act as both a giver and a recipient of a gift. To objectively evaluate the situation, one can imagine oneself in the opposite role: "If you are unable to deliver a gift on time, picture yourself as the recipient of a late present. Based on our findings, we believe this should lessen your anxiety about the potential harm that lateness may cause to your relationship with a loved one."