Have you ever noticed that you feel compelled to do something for people who have helped you along the way – even if they haven’t asked you to? There’s something very powerful at play that causes this phenomenon, and it is called as “The Law of Reciprocity“:

“If you do something nice for me I’ll do something nice for you. I feel obligated to reciprocate.”

For example, if we go out to lunch and I pick up the bill, you almost always offer to pay for it next time. Next time we go out to lunch, you insist on paying for the bill. You can try and resist this law, but as a human, you will more than likely still feel that you need to respond in kind to a good deed.

Regardless of what drives our need to reciprocate, it’s a very real and key component of psychology-based marketing: strategies and campaigns founded on psychological principles and behaviors. We’re more inclined to do favors for friends who once did something nice for us. When we return the favor, the value of our “payback” is often greater than the original good deed that initiated the act.

Summing-up: The Law of Reciprocity can be also stated as “you reap what you sow,” that is, you will bet back what you give. Give to others, look for ways to help and be of service, and trust that more will come back to you.