What is the primary benefit of encapsulation in object-oriented programming?

Encapsulation in object-oriented programming is primarily aimed at protecting data from unauthorized access. This is achieved by bundling the data (attributes) and the methods (functions) that operate on that data into a single unit called a class. By using access modifiers like private, protected, and public, encapsulation restricts direct access to certain components of an object, allowing controlled interactions through defined interfaces.

This controlled access ensures that the internal representation of the object cannot be modified randomly from outside the class, which enhances data integrity and helps maintain a consistent state of the object. For example, if a class has private variables, external code cannot directly modify these variables, thus preventing unintended interference and reducing the risk of bugs.

In contrast, increasing code complexity is an outcome typically associated with poor design choices rather than encapsulation itself. The total number of files in a project is not directly influenced by encapsulation, as it's more about structuring the code effectively within those files. Dynamic method binding relates to polymorphism and how method calls are resolved at runtime, which is a different concept from the core purpose of encapsulation.