The Rule of Reciprocation Overpowers Liking

The rule of reciprocation is so powerful that it can make us feel indebted to people we don't even like. The desire to repay a favor is a stronger motivator than our social feelings for the person who gave it.

In an experiment, subjects who received an unsolicited can of soda from a research assistant bought twice as many raffle tickets from him as subjects who did not receive a soda. This was true even when the subjects did not like the assistant.

This shows that the feeling of obligation created by The Rule of Reciprocation is the primary driver of our compliance, not our personal feelings toward the giver. This makes the rule a potent tool of influence, as it can be used to get people to do things they otherwise wouldn't do.