The paradox of love and gifts: Motivations, outcomes, and impacts of Simps’ gift-giving in romantic pursuit

The internet slang term ‘simp’ is used to describe individuals who, during the courtship phase, attempt to initiate romantic relationships through excessive ingratiation. Unlike conventional romantic pursuit, such ingratiating behaviors often end in failure. However, existing research offers limited insight into gift-giving practices and their consequences among simps. This study focuses on the motivations, outcomes, and impacts of gift-giving behaviors performed by simps, using a combination of observation and interviews, and combining the real-life experiences of 18 simps and 16 pursued individuals. The findings reveal that simps tend to offer gifts that exceed their financial capacity in an attempt to establish romantic relationships with recipients. However, this strategy may fails to secure symbolic capital (power) for them, potentially preventing the formation of such relationships. Furthermore, this behavior negatively affects the perceptions of romantic relationships and marriage for both simps and the individuals they pursue. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of gift-giving among simps while highlighting how consumption practices can become embedded in intimate relationships and acquire meanings beyond their economic value.