Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Agreeableness, as a psychological trait, refers to a person’s tendency to be cooperative with others and have an orientation toward harmony. Within the context of Give and Take, Grant notes that agreeableness does not necessarily correlate with reciprocity style. Takers can be agreeable, whereas givers can be disagreeable. Many people tend to use agreeableness to judge whether someone is a taker, but Grant warns that this is a simplistic and potentially misleading interpretation of agreeableness.

Within a network, dormant ties are relationships or connections that have become inactive over time. They are contacts that were once strong but have since faded or been neglected. Grant notes that dormant ties are a hidden source of value within networks. By reactivating dormant ties, individuals can gain the novelty they would otherwise glean from weak ties, but with the strength and trust that they would experience from strong ties. Adam Rifkin, a master networker, focuses primarily on rekindling relationships with dormant ties.

Borrowed from game theory, the term “generous tit for tat” describes Grant’s recommended approach for givers interacting with takers. According to this approach, givers should start out by giving, switch to matching if the other person reveals themselves to be a taker, and return to giving during one out of three interactions.