Trusting Strangers - Who Do We Trust and Why?Trusting Strangers - Who Do We Trust and Why?
All In The Mind
When two strangers meet, how do they figure out whether to trust one another?
29:24•20 Sept 2020
Snap Judgements and Shaky Trust: How Our Brains Read Strangers
Episode Overview
- First impressions of trustworthiness are formed in about 100 milliseconds, mainly from facial features, yet are often inaccurate.
- Smiling, facial attractiveness and relaxed posture strongly boost perceived trust, while aggressive or jerky movements reduce it.
- Around half of trust judgements come from cues in the face and half from the observer’s unique experiences and familiarity.
- People tend to trust those who look like them or their social group, which can reinforce in-group bias and cycles of distrust.
- Experts suggest focusing on actual behaviour rather than gut reactions to make fairer and more reliable decisions about trust.
“I would always advise people not to use their first impressions and instead look to actual behaviour because that's the best indicator of whether or not someone can actually be trusted.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode shifts the focus to something we all do constantly: judging whether a stranger can be trusted, often in less than a blink. You’ll hear science reporter Carl Smith unpack how quickly the brain sizes up someone new, leaning heavily on their eyes, facial expression and even clothing. Social psychologist Dr Anna Buchler-Reitig explains that faces are typically judged along two main lines: dominance and trustworthiness. The catch?
Those snap judgements feel reliable, yet “especially when it comes to trustworthiness, these first impressions based on physical features of faces, they are not accurate.” Dr Claire Sutherland takes the conversation further, showing how trust is essential to society but also shaped by our past experiences and familiar faces.
Her twin studies suggest that roughly half of what we call “trustworthiness” comes from what’s in the face, and half from what each person brings to the table, including who they’ve trusted before. Dr Nicole Nelson adds another layer, showing how posture, movement and even beards or masks can quickly change how trustworthy someone looks. Relaxed, calm body language tends to inspire trust, while jerky or aggressive movements ring alarm bells.
Across these interviews, you’ll hear about in-groups and out-groups, cultural differences in smiling, and the worrying way first impressions can feed self-fulfilling cycles of distrust. The experts repeatedly suggest that relying less on gut reactions and more on actual behaviour could help us build fairer, more inclusive relationships.
If you’ve ever wondered why you warm to some strangers and feel wary of others, this episode offers a clear reminder to pause, question that instant verdict and ask: is this feeling about them, or about my own history of trust?
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