Trust (Agreeableness facet)
A facet of Big Five Agreeableness measuring default belief that others have good intentions. High scorers extend trust readily; low scorers are skeptical until evidence accumulates.
Trust is the most cognitive facet of Agreeableness. It captures default assumptions about strangers and colleagues: do you start from "probably honest" or from "prove it"? It is partly heritable and partly shaped by formative experiences of betrayal or reliability.
High Trust people are easier to work with, form connections faster, and are over-represented in high-trust cultures and professions. They are also more often exploited — high Trust correlates with both higher reported life satisfaction and higher victimisation rates in financial scams.
Low Trust is not paranoia — it is prudence. In adversarial contexts (negotiation, litigation, due diligence, security), low Trust is a professional asset.
Source: Costa & McCrae (1992). NEO-PI-R Professional Manual.
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