#Socialclass

A new study by psychologists finds that people’s trust in others is influenced by their childhood financial background more than their current status. In experiments with nearly 2,000 participants, researchers observed that individuals described as having grown up in modest circumstances were trusted more than those depicted as having privileged upbringings. This effect persisted even when current incomes were similar.

In the experiments, participants played a trust game with fictional profiles that hinted at education, early work, and travel experiences. “Trusters” decided how many raffle tickets to give to “trustees,” where each ticket represented potential monetary reward. The number of tickets given served as a measure of behavioral trust.

Recent research published by the American Psychological Association has uncovered a surprising factor shaping who we trust: a person’s childhood financial background. People are far more likely to trust individuals raised in modest circumstances than those perceived to have grown up wealthy, suggesting that our perceptions of trustworthiness are deeply influenced by subtle social cues rooted in class and upbringing. The findings, featured in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, offer new insight into what drives trust in relationships, work settings, and broader society (Deseret News).

New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has found that people are more likely to trust individuals who grew up in lower-income households, as compared to those who had privileged backgrounds. This finding, based on a series of experiments with nearly 2,000 participants, sheds light on the deep-rooted perceptions linking childhood hardship with morality and trustworthiness—a topic that resonates on both a global and a Thai societal level (Neuroscience News).

New research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology explores how childhood poverty influences trust. Across nearly 2,000 participants, people tended to trust those who grew up in lower-income households more than those from privileged backgrounds. The study links early hardship with perceived morality and reliability, a topic that resonates in both global and Thai contexts.

In Thailand, trust underpins friendships and workplace culture alike. The findings matter because they show how someone’s past, especially childhood conditions, can shape decisions about who to partner with or hire. In a society where family origins and social status influence reputations, understanding these trust dynamics can help foster fairer, more sincere interactions at work and in communities.