Trust and happiness: study of 2.5 million people links the two

People who place more confidence in those around them, in institutions and in society tend to report being happier, according to a new study backed by the American Psychological Association and carried out with researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

The team reviewed earlier scientific studies covering more than 2.5 million people aged between 6 and 84, most of them living in the United States, China and the United Kingdom. Across that data, the happiness levels participants reported for themselves were directly tied to how much they trusted.

Happiness itself was measured through three elements: the number of positive experiences a person had, how often they faced depressive or anxiety symptoms, and how satisfied they felt with life overall.

Trust was split into three forms as well. Interpersonal trust covers partners, friends, family, colleagues and neighbours. Institutional trust concerns bodies such as the administration, the justice system and the police. Generalised trust reflects a belief that society is moving forward and that difficulties will eventually be resolved.

To explain the link, the researchers put forward a hypothesis rather than a firm conclusion. Trust is what binds humans together, and people tend to avoid spending time with those they do not trust. A lack of it, the team suggests, may encourage feelings of loneliness or isolation, which in turn would lower overall wellbeing.