Scientific Definition
Responding in kind — favors for favors, harms for harms.
Plain-English Definition
Responding in kind — favors for favors, harms for harms.
Feynman Explanation
A small gift creates a large obligation. That's the trick.
Core Principle
Responding in kind — favors for favors, harms for harms.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Responding in kind — favors for favors, harms for harms.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
B2B sales, partnerships, and culture all run on reciprocity.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
A small gift creates a large obligation. That's the trick.
Examples
- Charities sending free address labels; restaurants and mints with the check.
- B2B sales, partnerships, and culture all run on reciprocity.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Notice when reciprocity is being invoked on you. Pay back deliberately, not impulsively.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Notice when reciprocity is being invoked on you. Pay back deliberately, not impulsively.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
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Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
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