Sociology
Gift Economies and the Maintenance of Social Hierarchies
Quick fact
In many societies, gift-giving is not voluntary kindness but a serious social obligation. Anthropologist Marcel Mauss found that gifts, with their three obligations—to give, to receive, and to repay—form a 'contract' that binds people together and often places the recipient in the giver's debt, which can be used to build prestige and power.
Why this is interesting
You've probably received a gift and felt a warm glow—but did you also feel a quiet pressure to give something back? That pressure is the engine of an entire economic system.