The act of eating apparently diminished their anxiety response. Soon the cats could be placed in environments more resembling the cages and, eventually, in the original cages without symptoms of anxiety. Wolpe calls this procedure systematic desensitization. It has been found to be remarkably effective at rooting out all sorts of deep-set reactions in animals and humans. The success of this tool led Wolpe to develop a theory of learning called reciprocal inhibition.
Reciprocal behaviors are reactions that compete with each other.
If a reciprocal reaction can be evoked in a situation that usually elicits a different response, the old reaction can be weakened. Learning occurs as the new response grows stronger and the old response grows weaker. The act of eating can elicit reactions in animals that compete with and diminish the anxiety response. In humans, eating usually does not have this effect, but other behaviors do. Neuromuscular relaxation is reciprocal to anxiety, assertiveness is reciprocal to shyness and positive thoughts are contradictory to negative thoughts.