News Release 05-112
Gender Influences Decisions About Trust
Men value group ties, women favor personal connections
Men tend to trust strangers that are members of a group. Women favor personal connections.
July 7, 2005
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According to an Ohio State University research team led by Marilynn Brewer, men and women weigh different factors when deciding which strangers they can trust. Men tend to trust strangers that share membership in a group or club with them, while women are more likely to trust those with personal ties--such as friends of friends.
The conclusions were based on a study published in the current issue of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations.
The results could help researchers better understand how social and cultural differences impact group dynamics and social interactions.
"Trust is a fundamental component of social interaction, whether between individuals, between organizations, or between countries," says NSF program manager Amber Story. "This research is innovative in that it links the processes involved in the decision to trust to the ways in which men and women define who they are and what groups they belong to."
The National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation funded the study.
For more details, see the Ohio State University Press Release.
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Nicole Mahoney, NSF, (703) 292-5321, email: nmahoney@nsf.gov
Principal Investigators
Amber L. Story, NSF, (703) 292-7249, email: astory@nsf.gov
Co-Investigators
Marilynn B. Brewer, Ohio State University, (614) 292-9640, email: brewer64@osu.edu
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