WANT to ensure you get a good present haul this Christmas? Choose the right soundtrack. Does gran like a bit of Tom Jones? Does your partner like One Direction? It might sound awful to you, but listening to their preferred music makes people more generous, research has shown.

ZME Science reported that Japanese psychologist, Hajime Fukui, from the Nara University in Japan, found that a person listening to their preferred music behaved with more altruism in controlled tests than someone who did not. The test involved playing a simulation game where you had money you could allocate to figures in the game.

Interestingly, men were found to be more generous than women although the sample figure was relatively small.

It's believed that music excites a part of the brain called the amygdala which causes the modified behaviour. This is because past research has shown that damage to the amygdala can cause a person to be more trusting with their finances.

Just don't let your kids find out!