Can "Being Disliked" Actually Make Someone Like You?

We intuitively think, "To be liked by others, I need to help them a lot." However, social psychology experiments have proven the exact opposite: the best way to get someone to like you is to "ask them for a small favor." The Underlying Mechanism (Cognitive Dissonance): Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, once borrowed a rare, valuable book from a political opponent who intensely disliked him. After the opponent lent him the book, Franklin thanked him profusely. As a result, the opponent's attitude towards him completely changed, and they even became lifelong friends. The Brain's Self-Justification: When someone does you a favor, your brain experiences cognitive dissonance: "I actually helped someone I dislike/don't know well?" To resolve this inconsistency, the brain automatically modifies its perception: "The reason I helped him must be because he's actually a decent person, or perhaps I admire him."