Typical is Trustworthy - Evidence for a Generalized Heuristic

When judging whether someone is trustworthy, people rely on the perceptual typicality of a person’s face. We tested whether a more general typical-is-trustworthy heuristic exists based on the descriptive typicality of a person. In four experiments, we provided participants with descriptive information about the typicality of target persons’ attributes (i.e., population prevalence) and measured perceived trustworthiness. Participants consistently expected descriptively typical targets to be more trustworthy than descriptively atypical targets. These findings show that typicality-based trustworthiness inferences are not only confided to perceptual typicality but also apply to descriptive typicality, suggesting a general typical-is-trustworthiness heuristic. This implies a human tendency to trust typical individuals more and, conversely, a disadvantage for atypical individuals such as minorities.