The Trust Paradox: Why Believing in Strangers Makes You Happier episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 6, 2026 · 12 MIN

The Trust Paradox: Why Believing in Strangers Makes You Happier

from The Psychology of People

One of the largest psychological studies ever conducted — a meta-analysis of nearly 1,000 studies involving more than 2.5 million participants — has revealed something counterintuitive: trusting others, even complete strangers, makes us happier. This episode explores the bidirectional relationship between trust and well-being, examines why this connection varies dramatically across the lifespan, and considers whether our increasingly skeptical modern world may be undermining our happiness. This episode was generated with AI assistance.

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The Trust Paradox: Why Believing in Strangers Makes You Happier

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How long is this episode of The Psychology of People?

This episode is 12 minutes long.

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This episode was published on February 6, 2026.

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One of the largest psychological studies ever conducted — a meta-analysis of nearly 1,000 studies involving more than 2.5 million participants — has revealed something counterintuitive: trusting others, even complete strangers, makes us happier....

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