Cialdini raamat
what makes us human to the reciprocity system. He claims that we are human be-
cause our ancestors learned to share food and skills "in an honored network of
obligation" (Leakey 8{ Lewin, 1978). Cultural anthropologists view this "web of in-
debtedness" as a unique adaptive mechanism of human beings, allowing for the di-
vision of labor, the exchange of diverse forms of goods and different services, and
'Certain societies have formalized the rule into ritual. Consider for example the Vartan Bhanji, an in-
stitutionalized custom of gift exchange common to parts of Pakistan and India. In commenting upon
the Vartan Bhanji, Gouldner (1960) remarks:
It is ... notable that the ~stem painstakingly prevents the total elimination of outstanding obliga-
tions. Thus, on the occasion of a marriage, departing guests are given gifts of sweets. In weighing
them out, the hostess may say, "These five are yours," meaning "These are a repayment for what you
annaabi.ee 
