Trust: Why it’s the Foundation to Strong & Healthy Relationships

Relationships 101: Trust is at the center of a strong and healthy relationship.

This statement is probably nothing new. Most likely, you’ve already heard it, read it, or even said it yourself. But let’s discuss why trust is so critical.

Consider this a review of the connection between trust and relationships.

Why do relationships need trust?

Trust Leads to Openess & Honesty: When people trust each other, they’re more likely to share more about themselves. They can share their deepest secrets, life story, and opinions without worrying about being judged. They also trust that what they say will remain confidential. Therefore, being nonjudgemental and trustworthy are great qualities to have. These qualities help increase openness and honesty in a relationship. But their opposite can decrease openness and honesty. Meanwhile, vice-versa, being open and honest leads to more trust.

Trust Leads to Vulnerability: When people trust each other, they’re more likely to be vulnerable with each other. This means they can be unguarded and exposed to judgment and physical risks (like doing the “trust fall”) because they trust that there’ll be no adverse consequence to removing the walls they’ve put up as well as removing their physical security. Logically, the more vulnerable people can be, the more comfortable they are being open and honest. Meanwhile, vice-versa, being vulnerable leads to more trust.

Openness & Honesty Leads to Authenticity: The more open and honest people are the more authentic their relationships can be because they are presenting their true authentic selves.

Take a moment to study the above diagram. Notice how trust is the one thing that links everything together. While it doesn’t always come easy, the better perspective we have on it, the stronger our relationships can become.