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Reciprocity is a process of exchanging things with other people to gain a mutual benefit. The norm of reciprocity (sometimes referred to as the rule of reciprocity) is a social norm where, if someone does something for you, you then feel obligated to return the favor.

If someone talks about something being a two-way street or give-and-take, these are other words and phrases for reciprocity. Learn how reciprocity develops, types of reciprocity, how it’s used, and more.

How Reciprocity Develops

The socialization process plays an important role in developing the need to reciprocate. Through experience, children learn to share with others, take turns, and engage in reciprocal actions. Reciprocity plays an important role in the development and continuation of relationships. It also plays an important role in persuading others to adopt certain beliefs or behaviors.

If you have ever felt obligated to do something for someone because they first did something for you, then you were likely responding to the norm of reciprocity. This is an example of just one type of social norm that can have a powerfulinfluence on our behavior.

The reciprocity norm operates on a simple principle: People tend to feel obligated to return favors after people do favors for them.

When your new neighbors bring over a plate of cookies to welcome you to the neighborhood, for instance, you might feel obligated toreturn the favorwhen they ask you to take care of their dog while they are on vacation.

Types of Reciprocity

There are three main types of reciprocity:

Uses for Reciprocity

One area where this norm is commonly employed is in the field of marketing. Marketers utilize a broad range of strategies to convince consumers to make purchases. Some are straightforward such as sales, coupons, and special promotions. Others are far more subtle and make use of principles of human psychology of which many people are not even aware.

Research indicates that, while reciprocity may initially cause people to make a charitable donation, this response reduces over time.

Examples of Reciprocity

Examples of reciprocity in business include:

In relationships, reciprocity often looks like supporting one another in different situations. For example, you might comfort your partner when something doesn’t go their way. In return, they will provide comfort and support when you are having a bad day.

Impact of Reciprocity

Reciprocity has a few obvious benefits. For one thing, taking care of others helps the survival of the species.

By reciprocating, we ensure that other people receive help when they need it and that we receive assistance when we need it.

Reciprocity also allows people to get things done that they would not be able to do on their own. By working together or exchanging services, people can accomplish more than they would individually.

One seminal experiment showed how powerful reciprocity could be in the real world. In 1974, sociologist Phillip Kunz mailed out handwritten Christmas cards with a note and photograph of him and his family to approximately 600 randomly selected people.All of the recipients of the cards were complete strangers. Shortly after mailing the cards, responses began trickling in.

Kunz received nearly 200 replies. Why would so many people reply to a complete stranger? This is the rule of reciprocity at work. Since Kunz had done something for them (sent a thoughtful note during the holiday season), many recipients felt obligated to return the favor.

Why Helping Others Is Important

Reciprocity and Persuasion

One of these is known as the “that’s-not-all” technique. Let’s say you’re shopping for a new mobile phone. The salesperson shows your phone and tells you the price, but you’re still not quite sure. If the salesperson offers to add a phone case at no additional charge, you might feel like they’re doing you a favor, which in turn might make you feel obligated to buy the phone.

Reciprocity in Relationships

It is not atransactionalexchange where each person keeps score. Instead, relationship reciprocity focuses on a balanced give and take where people strive to communicate their needs, respond to their partner, and note when each person’s needs change.

Recap

Tips for Navigating Reciprocity

In many cases, the reciprocity norm is actually a good thing. It helps people behave in socially acceptable ways and allows them to engage in a social give-and-take with others. But what should you do if you are trying to overcome the urge to reciprocate, such as trying to avoid the need to purchase an item after receiving a freebie?

Some tips that can help:

Understanding how the reciprocity norm influences behavior may help you better evaluate persuasive messages and requests.

Potential Pitfalls of Reciprocity

Reciprocity is not always an even exchange, which opens up the potential for imbalance or even abuse. Research has shown that people are often willing to perform a proportionately larger favor after someone has done something small for them.

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Reciprocity.Chuan A, Kessler JB, Milkman KL.Field study of charitable giving reveals that reciprocity decays over time.PNAS. 2018;115(8):1766-1771. doi:10.1073/pnas.1708293115Nohe C, Hertel G.Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: A meta-analytic test of underlying mechanisms.Front Psychol. 2017;8:1364. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01364Molm LD.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly. 2010;(73)2:119-131. doi:10.1177/0190272510369079Kunz PR, Woolcott M.Season’s greetings: From my status to yours.Social Science Research. 1976;5(3):269-278. doi:10.1016/0049-089X(76)90003-XCialdini RB.Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Simon & Schuster. 2016.Goyal N, Miller JG.The importance of timing in reciprocity: An investigation of reciprocity norms among Indians and Americans.Journal of Cross-Cultural Society. 2017;(49)3;381-403. doi:10.1177/0022022117746239Comello ML, Myrick JG, Raphiou AL.A health fundraising experiment using the “foot-in-the-door” technique.Health Mark Q. 2016;33(3):206‐220. doi:10.1080/07359683.2016.1199209Guéguen N.Door-in-the-face technique and delay to fulfill the final request: An evaluation with a request to give blood.J Psychol. 2014;148(5):569‐576. doi:10.1080/00223980.2013.817963Additional ReadingMolm, L.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly.Published April 2010Zimbardo PG, Leippe MR.The Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence.New York: McGraw-Hill. 1991.

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Reciprocity.Chuan A, Kessler JB, Milkman KL.Field study of charitable giving reveals that reciprocity decays over time.PNAS. 2018;115(8):1766-1771. doi:10.1073/pnas.1708293115Nohe C, Hertel G.Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: A meta-analytic test of underlying mechanisms.Front Psychol. 2017;8:1364. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01364Molm LD.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly. 2010;(73)2:119-131. doi:10.1177/0190272510369079Kunz PR, Woolcott M.Season’s greetings: From my status to yours.Social Science Research. 1976;5(3):269-278. doi:10.1016/0049-089X(76)90003-XCialdini RB.Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Simon & Schuster. 2016.Goyal N, Miller JG.The importance of timing in reciprocity: An investigation of reciprocity norms among Indians and Americans.Journal of Cross-Cultural Society. 2017;(49)3;381-403. doi:10.1177/0022022117746239Comello ML, Myrick JG, Raphiou AL.A health fundraising experiment using the “foot-in-the-door” technique.Health Mark Q. 2016;33(3):206‐220. doi:10.1080/07359683.2016.1199209Guéguen N.Door-in-the-face technique and delay to fulfill the final request: An evaluation with a request to give blood.J Psychol. 2014;148(5):569‐576. doi:10.1080/00223980.2013.817963Additional ReadingMolm, L.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly.Published April 2010Zimbardo PG, Leippe MR.The Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence.New York: McGraw-Hill. 1991.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychological Association.Reciprocity.Chuan A, Kessler JB, Milkman KL.Field study of charitable giving reveals that reciprocity decays over time.PNAS. 2018;115(8):1766-1771. doi:10.1073/pnas.1708293115Nohe C, Hertel G.Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: A meta-analytic test of underlying mechanisms.Front Psychol. 2017;8:1364. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01364Molm LD.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly. 2010;(73)2:119-131. doi:10.1177/0190272510369079Kunz PR, Woolcott M.Season’s greetings: From my status to yours.Social Science Research. 1976;5(3):269-278. doi:10.1016/0049-089X(76)90003-XCialdini RB.Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Simon & Schuster. 2016.Goyal N, Miller JG.The importance of timing in reciprocity: An investigation of reciprocity norms among Indians and Americans.Journal of Cross-Cultural Society. 2017;(49)3;381-403. doi:10.1177/0022022117746239Comello ML, Myrick JG, Raphiou AL.A health fundraising experiment using the “foot-in-the-door” technique.Health Mark Q. 2016;33(3):206‐220. doi:10.1080/07359683.2016.1199209Guéguen N.Door-in-the-face technique and delay to fulfill the final request: An evaluation with a request to give blood.J Psychol. 2014;148(5):569‐576. doi:10.1080/00223980.2013.817963

American Psychological Association.Reciprocity.

Chuan A, Kessler JB, Milkman KL.Field study of charitable giving reveals that reciprocity decays over time.PNAS. 2018;115(8):1766-1771. doi:10.1073/pnas.1708293115

Nohe C, Hertel G.Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: A meta-analytic test of underlying mechanisms.Front Psychol. 2017;8:1364. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01364

Molm LD.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly. 2010;(73)2:119-131. doi:10.1177/0190272510369079

Kunz PR, Woolcott M.Season’s greetings: From my status to yours.Social Science Research. 1976;5(3):269-278. doi:10.1016/0049-089X(76)90003-X

Cialdini RB.Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Simon & Schuster. 2016.

Goyal N, Miller JG.The importance of timing in reciprocity: An investigation of reciprocity norms among Indians and Americans.Journal of Cross-Cultural Society. 2017;(49)3;381-403. doi:10.1177/0022022117746239

Comello ML, Myrick JG, Raphiou AL.A health fundraising experiment using the “foot-in-the-door” technique.Health Mark Q. 2016;33(3):206‐220. doi:10.1080/07359683.2016.1199209

Guéguen N.Door-in-the-face technique and delay to fulfill the final request: An evaluation with a request to give blood.J Psychol. 2014;148(5):569‐576. doi:10.1080/00223980.2013.817963

Molm, L.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly.Published April 2010Zimbardo PG, Leippe MR.The Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence.New York: McGraw-Hill. 1991.

Molm, L.The structure of reciprocity.Social Psychology Quarterly.Published April 2010

Zimbardo PG, Leippe MR.The Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence.New York: McGraw-Hill. 1991.

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