Ben Franklin effect

The eponym of the effect, Benjamin Franklin

The Ben Franklin effect is a psychological phenomenon in which people like someone more after doing a favor for them. An explanation for this is cognitive dissonance. People reason that they help others because they like them, even if they do not, because their minds struggle to maintain logical consistency between their actions and perceptions.

The Benjamin Franklin effect, in other words, is the result of one's concept of self coming under attack. Every person develops a persona, and that persona persists because inconsistencies in one's personal narrative get rewritten, redacted, and misinterpreted.[1]

  1. ^ McRaney, David (2011-10-05). "The Benjamin Franklin Effect". You Are Not So Smart. Retrieved 15 December 2016.