Christmas Card Reciprocity Between Strangers

(COLLAGE:elio m. and M. Sethi)

What will make people respond to a holiday card—even if they’ve never heard of the person who sent it?

I’ve just come across two different studies, conducted twenty years apart, in which researchers sent Christmas cards to people they’d never met, then waited to see what they’d do. To make things more interesting, the scientists made some cards look as if they’d come from senders of high status. (In case you were wondering, they accomplished this via the time-tested method of inserting “Dr.” into the sender’s name.)

In both studies, a significant number of people actually responded by sending cards, letters, or photos back, often with a personal note saying how much they missed their old acquaintance. (A relatively small number of the respondents did admit, rather embarrassedly, that they had no idea who the sender was.)

Also in both studies, cards from senders of higher status were far more likely to receive a card in return.

Here’s the published response that I found the most poignant.

Dr. ____, It was good to hear from you again. I was diagnosed with asthma in 1985 by Dr. _____ who has a medical clinic with his Dad, ________M.D. On November 7, 1983, I had a bad asrhma attack at 5:00 am. I went to the V.A. Hospital. They changed my inhalers and medicine and then they took me off both. We sold the house in January in three days. I’m doing A.O.K. Please visit sometime. Thanks for the card, good luck and God bless- Jim

And here are the papers.