loving art, science and creative kids

People transfer their trust to animals, knowing they act consistently and don’t lie. 

What Happened to Trust?

There was a time in my life when I believed a person’s word was sacred. It was an unsigned contract I could depend on. In the business world, a handshake was enough. If someone gave me their word, I trusted that they would follow through.

As a child, I believed my parents would always be there for me, propping me up when I made a mistake. As an adult, I trusted my spouse completely. When he said he would do something, I knew he would. I expected the same from my children. Their word had to mean something.

I’m not sure I could live that way today. After I won the Gold Manhattan Book Award, my inbox filled with hundreds of messages from people claiming to represent famous podcasts, radio programs, authors, publishers, literary agents, and marketing companies. Many were scammers using names and identities that appeared legitimate. I read them because every so often there was an honest communication among them. But that meant checking nearly everything out before I could believe it. What I discovered was disheartening. These people were using every trick imaginable to persuade me to part with my money.

The experience made me realize something I had taken for granted most of my life: trust makes life easier. When we trust people, we don't have to constantly question their motives. We can ask a neighbor to water our plants, lend a friend a hand, or believe that someone will keep a promise. Trust allows us to cooperate without continually wondering what might go wrong.

And yet Americans have become less trusting. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, only 34% of Americans say most people can be trusted, compared with 46% in 1972. Pew Research Center — Americans’ Trust in One Another That number bothers me. I remember a time when our front door was always unlocked. We didn't think twice about leaving it that way. Today, most people would consider that irresponsible. We are more cautious about strangers, our possessions, and even the information we receive. Some of that caution is certainly justified. Technology has given dishonest people tools that didn't exist when I was young. My experience with scammers is proof of that.

But we have also lost confidence in many of the institutions that are supposed to help us determine what is true. In 2025, Gallup reported that only 28% of Americans had a great deal or fair amount of confidence that newspapers, television, and radio would report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. Gallup — Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S. When people don't trust the news, they turn elsewhere for information. Increasingly, that means social media, friends, family, and neighbors. I understand that. I occasionally check Nextdoor, a neighborhood communication site, to hear about lost dogs, road closures, gardening tips, or neighborhood concerns. But if something seems controversial, I don't automatically believe it. I consider who posted it, whether there might be a bias, and whether I can verify it elsewhere.

Trust also affects our well-being. Research from the American Psychological Association found that people who trust others and institutions tend to report greater happiness and satisfaction with their lives. American Psychological Association — Trust in others, institutions boosts well-being. Perhaps that shouldn't surprise us. Constant suspicion is exhausting.

But trust isn't experienced equally by everyone. After George Floyd was killed, a Black friend told me he had stopped jogging. He was afraid someone might see him running and call the police. How different his experience of the world was from mine!  For me, someone running down the street was simply someone getting exercise. For him, it had become something that could make him vulnerable to suspicion.

Trust is rooted partly in personal experience. If someone has experienced discrimination, betrayal, or exploitation, telling them simply to trust others isn't enough. Trust has to be earned. And yet, despite everything that makes me more cautious than I once was, I still encounter acts of kindness that restore my faith in people.

A few years ago, I was taking a pottery class. I had put my diamond engagement ring in my coat pocket and completely forgotten it was there. After class, I went shopping. While I was in the parking lot, I reached into my pocket for my gloves. I didn't realize my ring had fallen out. When I returned to my car with my packages, I discovered it was gone. I searched everywhere. Nothing. I left my name and phone number at the store's service desk and drove home shaking. I dreaded telling my husband that I had lost my engagement ring.

As I walked into the kitchen carrying the groceries, the phone began to ring. It was the store. A customer had found my ring on the ground and turned it in. It had been run over by a car. The setting was damaged, but the diamond was fine. I never discovered who found it, but I wish I had. I would have liked to look that person in the eye and say thank you. Instead, I thank that stranger silently whenever I think about it. Because it is a time when I often question how much trust I can place in other people, someone I didn't know keeps reminding me of something important:  There is still goodness in the world. 

Trust can't be demanded. It can't be purchased with a convincing email or created by passing a law. It has to be earned, one interaction at a time. Perhaps we can't return to the world of my childhood, when our front door stood unlocked and a handshake was enough to seal a deal. We can still teach our children to live honestly and that their word means something,

I don't want to live in a world where suspicion is the default. I'd rather be cautious without becoming cynical. I'd rather take the time to verify without assuming everyone is a fraud. And I'd rather believe that the stranger who finds a diamond ring in a parking lot might still do the right thing. Though trust may be fragile, it is also one of the things that holds us together.

  Click on some the Pew and Gallop references.I find the statistics fascinating. I look forward to your comments. How has trustworthiness changed during your lifetime?

  Art is always for sale. What a life is available for purchase through my website at https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/6312341/what-a-life#/ 

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My books bring to life what happens when people don’t act honestly with compassion, creating a world of suspicion and crime. Is that how you want to live. Like my characters, you can do something about it. Would you like me to give a book talk to your group. My books cover water, air and ocean pollution, logging, youth homelessness, and science museums ?  Contact me at [email protected]

Books can be purchased online at To purchase books go to https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Books+by+Marilynne+Eichinger