A new study by psychologists from UCLA and Oklahoma State University uncovers why people might still trust those who commit acts of betrayal if such actions are personally beneficial. The findings challenge traditional views of trust and betrayal in friendships, romantic relationships and professional settings.
New research by psychologists at UCLA and Oklahoma State University have shed light on an intriguing aspect of human behavior: the ability to trust someone who has betrayed others, especially if the betrayal benefits us. This finding, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, offers new insights into how we evaluate trustworthiness in our relationships.
Imagine two people cheat on their partners with each other and then leave their partners to be together. Conventional wisdom and past research might suggest that such individuals should distrust one another, adhering to the saying “once a cheater, always a cheater.”
However, the new study reveals a more nuanced reality.
“Making decisions about whom to trust based only on whether that person has betrayed someone else might not be the best way to determine whether or not I can trust someone,” co-author Jaimie Krems, a UCLA professor of psychology, said in a news release. “For example, think about that friend who always tells you other friends’ secrets but doesn’t share yours. This friend is betraying other people but enriching you with information.”
The research team sought to understand if people would trust someone more based on how another’s betrayal impacted them directly. They designed a set of experiments involving different scenarios, such as sharing secrets among friends, romantic infidelity and international espionage.
The participants were presented with vignettes where targets exhibited one of three behaviors: not betraying anyone, betraying others to the participant or betraying the participant to others.
The participants then rated the targets’ trustworthiness. As expected, individuals who did not betray anyone were deemed most trustworthy, and those who betrayed others were generally viewed as less trustworthy.
However, an interesting pattern emerged: when the betrayal benefited the participants, the betrayer was still considered trustworthy.
These results were consistent across various relationship types, including friendships, romantic relationships and professional interactions.
“Sure, if someone betrays other people, that could be a valuable cue that they might betray me — but not always,” Krems added.
The findings suggest that humans are inclined to weigh the personal advantages of a betrayal when assessing someone’s trustworthiness.
The researchers concluded that our perception of trustworthiness is balanced between an individual’s general disposition and the specific, idiosyncratic factors relevant to personal interactions. This nuanced approach allows for more adaptive decision-making based on situational context.
This breakthrough challenges long-held beliefs about trust and betrayal, indicating that self-interest can significantly influence whom we trust. The study provides valuable insights into the complexities of human relationships.