Abstract
Previous research on consumer gift–giving has neglected aging influences on romantic gift–giving. This study extends the existing gift-giving theories that have been based on exchange and agapic love paradigms and proposes the storgic love paradigm. Based on in-depth interviews with the baby boomers in Japan, we investigate the influence of aging on the meaning and practice of romantic gift-giving by mature consumers. The emergent storgic love model, characterized by caring, appreciative, and empathetic companionate love, illustrates that their gift–giving orientations are influenced by mature “perfect gift” experiences, the distance of intimacy, and concern for well-being. Gifts are used to enhance affectionate relationships by expressing appreciation and enriching everyday experiences. These gifts function to facilitate a new consumption style-downsizing. Givers reflect on the meaning of life and reminisce about the past through their storgic gift-giving. Such gifts are used to convey empathy for recipients’ frailty and defy aging.
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