Trust is at the basis of healthy and sustainable relations. Whether the actors on which we depend be individuals or
organizations, we quickly learn that not trusting impedes the development of mutually rewarding relationships.
1 On
the other hand, acting on trust implies risk and is potentially costly if the actors we trust turn out not to be trustworthy.2
An object of study across many disciplines such as psychology, sociology, economics and management sciences,
trust, we know, may grow overtime, yet different tasks require different levels and durations of trust. While unconditional
trust remains rare and is often not necessary, distrust can be appropriate in certain circumstances.3 Trust
nonetheless promotes open communication, and is therefore essential to successfully collect data and to ensure the
validity, credibility, and believability of our research.
4 Trust is particularly relevant in contexts of uncertainty or
ignorance about other people and their intentions,5 like the ones that emerge when working with and in different
cultures.