The law of reciprocity states that when someone does something nice for you, you will have a deep-rooted psychological urge to do something nice in return. As a matter of fact, you may even reciprocate with a gesture far more generous than their original good deed.
The good that you do seems to eventually come back to you. There are different types of reciprocation.
Emotional Reciprocation
Emotional reciprocation is where you make people feel good. Saying and meaning things like:
“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to meet you, I know how busy you are.”
“Thank you for your time.”
“This is a beautiful company or a great opportunity to speak to you.”
Whenever you say anything that causes people to feel better about themselves, they have a deep unconscious need to reciprocate.
Material or financial reciprocation
Another type of reciprocation is called material or financial reciprocation. ((Brian Tracey ))
An example of this is when you give someone a helping hand or lend them an item, they feel a natural urge to also pay you back by reciprocating in some way, some day.
The reverse is also true in that, if you do something that hurts others, they will feel the need to hurt you back as well, so be careful with that.
The starting point of the law of reciprocity is to look for opportunities to do things for others. It is a very powerful technique that you can use to cause people to like you and to feel obligated to you.
Remember, it is best when you do it not expecting anything in return. The law of reciprocity is one of the most powerful determinants of human behavior. You can also start making it work for you.
