Fear-Then-Relief

The problem ended. A new decision started.

Feeling relieved is normal. The useful distinction is between enjoying that feeling and using it to judge an unrelated request.

Fear-then-relief research concerns the change from anxiety to relief. It is more specific than simply liking a helpful person. The related affect heuristic concerns how feelings can influence judgments of benefits and risks more generally.

What the evidence does and does not say

Doliński and Nawrat's 1998 work included field and laboratory experiments. The author's later review describes drivers who initially mistook a leaflet for a parking ticket, then received a request to complete a traffic questionnaire. The results support a conditional compliance effect, not a rule that relieved people always agree.

These experiments did not measure remote-support scams, prove anyone's motives, or establish how a particular victim made a decision.

A fresh request gets a fresh check

Before agreeing, name the action: install software, share a code, transfer money, or allow control. Ask whether that action fits the problem and whether the person is independently verified.

Relief is a feeling. Permission is a decision.