Reciprocator-Recipient Asymmetries in Reciprocal Altruism

Pairs of friends wrote autobiographical narratives and completed surveys about events of reciprocity in their relationship. Each participant wrote about returning a favor to their friend (reciprocator essay) and about an event in which their friend returned a favor (recipient-of-reciprocity essay). The pairs independently reflected on the same events. Reciprocators rated their returned favors as having less impact, in terms of costs and benefits, than the recipients. Reciprocators’ ratings of the degree to which the recipient deserved the reciprocity were higher than recipients’ ratings of the degree to which they deserved the reciprocity. These reciprocator-recipient asymmetries may facilitate the establishment and retention of reciprocally altruistic relationships. Overall, participants rated the benefits of the reciprocity as greater than the costs (i.e., the interactions were nonzero sum). Nonzero-sum interactions are a necessary condition for mutually beneficial, reciprocal relationships.