Secret Of Healthy Relationships Found In Psychological Trick; 'The Ben Franklin Effect' May Increase Couples' Attraction
Trouble in paradise is unavoidable in relationships, bringing couples down from cloud nine and raining on their love parade. Whether a partner feels like they’re investing more time or being taken for granted by their significant other, both partners should do nice gestures for one another in order to make a relationship work. The psychological phenomenon, the “Ben Franklin Effect,” suggests we grow to like people for whom we have already done nice things, and we are likely to do the person another good deed as a result. This could be one of happy couples' relationship secrets.
"Make sure you allow room in the relationship for the other person to also give it back and invest in you," said host Julian in the latest Soul Pancake video about the science of love. This power technique helps partners shift the attention away from themselves and allows them to focus on others by putting the wants and needs of others before their own. If your partner genuinely cares about you, they will fulfill your wants and needs in any way they can.
To put this effect to the test, Soul Pancake recruited several couples to participate in the experiment. While one partner spent the entire time showing affection to the other via verbal expressions of love and getting them a drink, for example, the other partner did nothing but receive the praise and affection. At the conclusion of the experiment, the partners who spent their time being excessively nice showed a five percent increase in attraction to their significant others than they had at the beginning of the exercise.
Whether there’s trouble in paradise or you want to improve your friendships, try this effect. After all, our founding father once said, “He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.”