Having trouble trusting people? Here are 14 ways to know when not to trust someone

Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt you could trust them because of the way they looked, dressed, where they lived or how they talked? What about trusting someone because you found out that they had returned a lost item or they told you the truth a few times but lied at other times?

How do you judge when to trust a person and when not to? We all know that in order to survive in life, there must be an element of trust. Especially, among people in a relationship, in a group or in a company, trust is paramount. If there is no trust in a relationship, then there is bound to be problems of insecurity. But if there is a strong bond of trust, here is what you will most likely enjoy.

Business people want to know the reputation of the people they intend to partner with, give credit to, employ or have financial engagements with. While businesses can employ credit reference agencies, government and police files to discover the background of those they are dealing with, for personal relationships this type of detective work is near impossible.

Apart from word of mouth and instinct, there is not much on offer. Decisions like choosing the right spouse, friend, child-minder, personal assistant and so on can therefore be a bit tricky. So, how do you determine when to trust someone? Maybe people with these traits can be trusted.

I asked a few people what they thought were the characteristics of an untrustworthy person and here is a summary of what they said: 

• ·        Someone who often talks about others negatively
• ·        People who lie to cover up what they have done wrong
• ·        Selfish people who think can’t bear to share anything with others
• ·        Self-centred people who think the world revolves around them
• ·        A person who hides information to avoid helping others
• ·        Stealing and dishonest behaviour
• ·        Unreliable people who can’t keep a promise
• ·        Unhelpful people who are inconsiderate and rude
• ·        People who think they are better than everyone else
• ·        People who think they are doing you a favour by talking to you
• ·        People who don’t have your interests at heart
• ·        Someone who can’t trust you because of the bad experiences they have had
• ·        People who never share personal information but know everything about you
• ·        Someone who gossips about you and never supports you

These are a few tips on how to know when to trust someone. Never fall into the trap of trusting too quckly. Check people out before you give them your trust. There is a lot to gain when you finally find the right person to put your trust in.

Do you know any more characteristics of someone who is unreliable? What type of behaviour have you noticed? Share and let’s learn together.