From Christmas and birthdays to Valentine's Day and anniversaries, partners are expected to shell out cash for the kinds of gifts that make their mates swoon –– whether they like it or not.
This year, one in four men will grin and bear the task of picking out the 'perfect' bouquet of flowers for their Valentine, and another 11 percent plan on hitting up jewelry and candy stores, according to a new Harris Interactive poll .
But what is it about sweets and rose petals that makes some women love them so?
Behavioral economist and Duke University Prof. Dan Ariely may have solved the mystery for us.
"One way to view this discrepancy is that women like these things exactly because men hate shopping for them," Ariely wrote in a recent blog post.
"If you purchased something for your loved one that you enjoyed shopping for, this would be nice, but having to overcome your aversion to shopping for these items is a much stronger signal of your love and care. So this year, when you are shopping for jewelry or flowers for your soul mate, remind her what a pain it was for you."
On the off-chance you'd rather think outside of the chocolate box this year, more nuggets from the Harris Poll might give you a few helpful clues.
Unfortunately, most women said they want flowers (sorry, guys), but that was closely followed by 14 percent of women who said a day of pampering would suffice.
And one in ten said they wouldn't mind hiring an extra set of hands to help out around the house.
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