Turst: Post #6--Trust or Not

To Trust or Not to Trust: We detect deception at about a 54% level—a bit better than flipping a coin. Despite previous research to the contrary, there’s no “golden cue” to detect deception—not smirks, shifty eyes, or sneers—especially in isolation. However, context does matter—configural and situational context. Configural context means that we have to see an array of gestures to properly interpret veracity. Situational context deals with circumstances or with people expressing the gesture. For example, a smile by someone similar to us (gender, race, class) will be considered support, whereas a similar smile by someone in a different social category may not be.

Trust: Post #5--Money, Power, Trust

Money, Power and Trust: More money can make us feel like we don’t need others; thus, we become less trustworthy because we don’t have to worry about the future relationship with such people. Power’s the same. Not needing people can make you look at them as expendable. Power is a drug that can make you a better liar because it holds sway over people. But it can backfire—ask any politician who has strayed from trust. Also, avoid focus on money; it makes us selfish.  Abundance can make you feel like you don’t need others, and you are more likely to cheat or misuse them.

Trust: Post #4--Biology

The Biology of Trust: “In the end, biology all comes down to protecting and providing resources for people on your own team.” We give off the drug oxytocin when we trust, and we trust more when we give it off. Understanding the polyvagal theory helps. The vagus nerve controls the heart and other organs. Calm, deep breathing can add vagal tone, slow down the heart, and give off oxytocin, and it causes trust to soar.  More primitive connections to our threat center can turn our minds into distrustful reptiles, which run either to avoid being eaten or to eat the threat! Caution: Oxytocin can help your in-group (family and friends) but act as a threat to out-groups. Keep in mind that “biology is about optimization, not virtue.”