Scientific Definition
Cooperation between unrelated agents when future reciprocity is likely.
Plain-English Definition
Cooperation between unrelated agents when future reciprocity is likely.
Feynman Explanation
Today's favor is tomorrow's invoice.
Core Principle
Cooperation between unrelated agents when future reciprocity is likely.
Mechanisms
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Inputs (Triggers)
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Outputs (Behaviors)
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Behavioral Signature
Today's favor is tomorrow's invoice.
Examples
- Open-source contributions flow where reputation tracks the gift.
- B2B relationships run on long-arc reciprocity, not contracts.
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Famous Experiments
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Design Principles
- Design for repeat interaction; reciprocity collapses in one-shot games.
Measurement Approaches
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Evidence
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The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Design for repeat interaction; reciprocity collapses in one-shot games.
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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.
We defer to perceived expertise, rank, or uniform.
Membership in a group is a baseline human need.
We say yes more often to people we like.
Stored social capital from prior behavior.
Things feel more valuable when supply or time is limited.
Unwritten rules that govern behavior in a group.
Position in a hierarchy is a primary driver of behavior.
Strong in-group loyalty paired with out-group skepticism.
Shared identity ('we') drives compliance harder than shared interest.
Clear ownership of outcomes, not just tasks.
Asymmetric information attracts the worst counterparties.
Vastness that exceeds existing schemas dissolves the self briefly.