Does receiving favours and freebies make you uncomfortable? Maybe you have “reciprocity anxiety”

Years ago, my wife and I were window shopping in the Brighton lanes when we decided to enter a posh perfume store to take a closer sniff. A smiling sales woman approached and, to our delight, offered us each a complimentary glass of sparking wine and some nibbles. Soon though, our glee turned to discomfort: could we really just walk out having enjoyed the freebies? Conspiring like thieves, we decided that although we wouldn’t buy anything (not that we could have afforded to), we had better stay and look interested a while longer; we even dropped a false hint to the woman at our likely return.

Anxious to learn more? Good, because there is a paper from China and the US.

Reciprocity anxiety: Individual differences in feeling discomfort in reciprocity situations

Abstract

Providing gifts, assistance, or favors to benefit consumers may pressure the recipients to adhere to the norm of reciprocity, which has the potential to increase customer patronage and satisfaction. However, these practices can fail to yield desired results if customers feel uncomfortable about receiving things that need to be reciprocated. People differ in the degree to which they feel anxious in a situation that requires them to reciprocate or when they anticipate such a situation. This research introduces the construct of reciprocity anxiety to capture this individual difference and distinguish it from other variables. We develop an 11-item scale to measure two components of reciprocity anxiety and find that reciprocity anxiety can predict (1) consumers' avoidance behavior toward businesses that may obligate them to reciprocate; (2) consumers' eagerness to repay a benefit provided by businesses; as well as (3) consumers’ intentions to make future visits to businesses that employ reciprocity relationship-building tactics.

In a follow-up study, volunteers imagined a shop attendant offering them a free drink and plate full of snacks. Afterwards, high scorers in reciprocity anxiety scored lower for customer satisfaction and they said they would be less willing to visit the store again and less willing to spread a good word about the shop.

“Reciprocity works to establish a psychological bond” between customer and firm, the researchers said, but the discomfort it causes can backfire among those high in reciprocity anxiety, especially if they feel the benefits reflect badly on them or that they will struggle to reciprocate (around 18 per cent of people tested in these new studies scored highly in the trait; age and gender were unrelated).

The possible impact on the social level

It’s easy to be sceptical when psychologists propose another new trait (many will feel this is just a manifestation of social anxiety), but it strikes me as an interesting concept to explore further, including in non-commercial contexts. For example, I wonder how it might impact the ways that people manage their friendships and other relationships – perhaps high scorers in reciprocity anxiety are inclined to turn down invitations, seek help or receive other friendly favours, putting them at risk of loneliness and isolation.

More here