We are more likely to trust people who grew up poor, than those who had a wealthy upbringing, according to new research.
The study by a team from the University of British Columbia, in Canada, ran experiments with more than 1900 participants, and found when deciding whom to trust, people were more likely to choose individuals who grew up with less money over those who went to private schools or went on expensive vacations, regardless of their current status.
Lead researcher Kristin Laurin said the team explored whether someone’s social class, either while growing up or currently, affected how trustworthy they appeared to strangers.
“Trust is essential for healthy relationships. Without it, romantic partnerships can fail, workplaces can suffer and social divisions can grow,” Dr Laurin said.
She said their study, which involved a number of game-based exercises, revealed people tended to show more trust toward individuals from lower-income backgrounds, whether past or present.
“However, they only believed a player was more trustworthy when the player grew up in a lower-income household.
“Our research shows that people draw a clear line between someone’s childhood and their current situation.”
Dr Laurin said participants generally saw people who grew up in lower-class homes as more moral and trustworthy.
“(But) while they sometimes acted as if they trusted people who are currently lower class, they didn’t always believe those people would honour that trust.”
She said the findings suggested people may want to be strategic about how they presented themselves in social situations where trust was a component.
“If you’ve always been wealthy, for example, you might want to downplay that history and focus on the now, whereas if you’ve always struggled financially, making it clear that you grew up with humble roots might be more to your advantage,” she said.
Read the full study: Trust and Trust Funds: How Others’ Childhood and Current Social Class Context Influence Trust Behavior and Expectations.
