Imagine this scenario: Two people cheat on their partners with each other, leaving their relationships to be together. Should they trust one another, or does the adage “once a cheater, always a cheater” apply?
Intuition and prior research suggest that trustworthiness is judged by past behavior and a reputation for betrayal. However, new research from psychologists at UCLA and Oklahoma State University reveals a surprising twist: people often trust betrayers—if they personally benefit from the betrayal.
The Role of Self-Interest in Trust
The researchers found that while individuals generally regard those who betray others as less trustworthy, a betrayal that advantages the observer alters this perception. In such cases, the betrayer may still be seen as trustworthy.
“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,” the researchers explain.
For instance, consider a friend who shares others’ secrets but keeps yours confidential. While this friend is betraying others, their actions benefit you, making them seem trustworthy in your eyes.
This highlights a key contention: while the mind tracks reputations for betrayal, it also considers how someone’s betrayal affects you directly.
Testing the Hypothesis
The research team conducted experiments to examine whether trustworthiness judgments depend on betrayal avoidance and the personal impact of betrayal. Participants were presented with three scenarios:
- Sharing secrets among friends.
- Romantic infidelity.
- International espionage, with participants role-playing as CIA agents cultivating a French official as a source.
Each scenario featured a target who:
- Avoided betrayal entirely.
- Betrayed another person to the participant’s benefit.
- Betrayed the participant to someone else’s benefit.
Afterward, participants rated the target’s trustworthiness on a 7-point scale with questions like, “I would trust the target to keep my secrets.”
Results: Trust Hinges on Personal Impact
Unsurprisingly, participants deemed those who avoided betrayal the most trustworthy and those who betrayed the least trustworthy. However, the nuance lies in the middle ground: targets who betrayed others but benefited the participant were still rated as trustworthy.
This pattern persisted across friendships, romantic relationships, and professional contexts, supporting the researchers’ hypothesis. Judgments of trustworthiness are influenced not only by a person’s disposition but also by how their actions specifically impact the observer.
Idealism vs. Pragmatism
While people may claim to hold idealistic views about trust, their real-world judgments often reflect pragmatic, self-serving tendencies. Betrayal that enriches or protects an individual may lead them to overlook the betrayer’s flaws.
These findings challenge the simplistic view that betrayal universally diminishes trustworthiness. Instead, trust is revealed to be a complex interplay of ethical ideals and self-interest.
In relationships, as in life, trust may hinge less on absolute moral standards and more on the personal stakes involved.
