How Many People Do You Really Trust?

[Jonathan Wolfman]

Trust

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       How many people do you know well enough to trust, really trust?

 

 

     Think on that a moment. 

     Count.

 

 

     Columbia University Professor of Statistics Andrew Gelman says his research shows that "most Americans know just ten to twenty-five people well enough to say they trust them."  [NYT; 'Science Times', 2.19.13]

 

     Does that reflect your life?

 

[Jonathan Wolfman]

I know I am a curmudgeon and a churl:  quite honestly...and my wife and son agree w me...I cannot think of more than ten people I know well enough to trust, really trust.

[Phyllis]

What kind of trust? Mine's less than yours, if you mean trust implicitly with everything.

[Jonathan Wolfman]

Phyllis    I can offer only the questionas it was posed and studied by Professor Gelman. When I thought on my answer, I held for myself and others a pretty high standard.

[Jonathan Wolfman]

As I think on this...maybe, for me, eight or nine.

[Joan H]

Trust with what? My life? My money? my heart? My secrets? This is thought -provoking, and I would have to think about this, but only two people come to mind immediately... :)

[koshersalaami]

It's too open ended a question. I can't answer because I don't know trust with what.

[Jaime Franchi]

Without giving it serious enough thought to sit down and count, I'd have to say that I have many. But there's different kinds of trust: some I would trust with my children, some with my secrets, others with my love. Some I would trust to physically protect me. I trust several people professionally enough to show them my work and know that they wouldn't steal it. Putting my personal writing out there - like we all do - takes an enormous amount of trust, so I count the OS people and those I've met through OS as people I trust, and not superficially. I hope that answers your question - this was interesting to think about JW!

[Jonathan Wolfman]

Joanie   I trust you implacably...wait...inflammably...wait...imperially...wait... ... ...

[Jonathan Wolfman]

Kosh  I wish I could refine the question further but I cannot bc it's not my question. As I thought on it, I tried to use as expansive a notion of trust as I could. That may be why I can name 8 or 9 only.

[Jonathan Wolfman]

Jaime  I think what the Q forces us to do, to think abt, is perhaps more important than any tentative answer.