During a feedback technique, a system that provides a social network requests feedback regarding an initial connection strength associated with an edge between two nodes in the social graph, which are associated with an entity and a counterparty, respectively. Note that the social graph represents interactions among users of the social network. Based on the feedback, the system determines a directional asymmetry between revised connection strengths received from the entity and the counterparty. Then, the system performs a remedial action based on the determined directional asymmetry, such as adjusting the connection strength of the edge. In addition, the remedial action may include: feedback about an accuracy of the initial connection strength, estimating a power distance between the entity and the counterparty, and/or encouraging interaction between the entity and the counterparty.