Willingness to trust is reduced by loneliness and paranoia

TL;DR

Lonelier and more paranoid people are less likely to trust others, even when those others act kindly, which can harm their relationships.

Contribution

This study shows that loneliness and paranoia reduce trust by decreasing reliance on expectations of reciprocity in social interactions.

Findings

Loneliness and paranoia are strongly linked and associated with more distrustful behavior after trust breaches.

Lonelier individuals trust highly cooperative partners less due to reduced reliance on reciprocity expectations.

These effects were observed in both clinical and general populations, highlighting their broad relevance.

Abstract

Loneliness is associated with negative social behaviors, impairing social relationships. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the relationship between paranoid thoughts and lonely individuals’ willingness to rely on expectations of partner reciprocity in an investment game with individuals with and without psychosis (54 participants). We found that loneliness and paranoia were strongly correlated with each other and with more distrustful behavior after breaches of trust. Sensitivity to changes in partner reciprocity was higher in lonelier and more paranoid individuals. Lonelier individuals also trusted highly reciprocating partners less. Computational modeling revealed that lonelier and more paranoid individuals were less willing to rely on expectations of partner reciprocity. Importantly, these effects were observed in both patients and controls, indicating the important role of loneliness and paranoia in both clinical and general populations. These findings demonstrate how loneliness relates to social behaviors and expectations, pointing to important downstream implications for lonely individuals’ relationships.

Lonelier individuals are less willing to trust partners even when they cooperate highly, due to reduced reliance on expectations of their reciprocity. Their willingness to trust is even lower when they also report high levels of paranoia.

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