Generosity in Unequal Relationships Runs on Precedent, MIT Finds
MIT researchers show that reciprocity is not the universal default: in asymmetric relationships, generosity follows established precedents rather than a strict turn-taking ledger, because tracking who owes whom is cognitively costly. The direction of generosity can flow up or down, and once a precedent is set, people expect it to continue, challenging traditional game-theory assumptions that rely on context-free reciprocity.
