Trust—The importance of trustfulness versus trustworthiness

Trust is analyzed as a concept with two components, trustfulness and trustworthiness. This approach combines the attitude of one actor with the characteristics of another actor. Many analyses stress the importance of being trustful. In the idealistic tradition, faith and social education nurturing positive expectations are the keys to trust and cooperation. However, the present analysis finds trustworthiness to be the crucial factor. Overoptimistic or deceitful promises will fool and disappoint the trustful actor, making him distrustful, while experience of trustworthy partners will enhance further cooperation. Hence, the degree of trustworthiness is the central factor for whether trust increases or decreases.