Key points

Reciprocity (give-and-take exchange) is essential for successful interactions and relationships.

People are only motivated to reciprocate when the exchange has instrumental and symbolic value for them.

Motivating reciprocity requires a combination of short-term rewards and long-term trust building.

Reciprocity (give-and-take exchange) is essential for successful human interactions. Feeling motivated to return a favor (and feeling owed for a favor) drives social behavior, personal interaction, and interpersonal attraction too. In fact, as I discuss in Attraction Psychology (Nicholson, 2022), reciprocal social exchange is the heart of dating and romantic relationships . Beyond that, it is a motivational force in professional interactions as well.

Nevertheless, even thou

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