Ben Franklin Effect

What is the Ben Franklin effect?

The Ben Franklin effect, also called the Benjamin Franklin effect, describes the possibility that doing someone a favor can increase the helper’s liking for that person. It is not a rule that every favor improves a relationship.

Franklin’s book-borrowing story

In his autobiography, Franklin described borrowing a rare book from an assembly member who had opposed him, returning it with thanks, and finding that the man became more friendly. The relevant change was the rival’s behavior toward Franklin; the account is a historical anecdote rather than a controlled experiment.

What does the research show?

In a later experiment, Yu Niiya found increased liking after a direct request for help among Japanese and American participants. Helping without the direct request did not produce the same increase. The request and its social meaning may therefore matter, as well as the act of helping. A burdensome request can still harm a relationship.

Sources: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; Does a Favor Request Increase Liking Toward the Requester?.