Generally speaking, would you say that “most people can be trusted” or that “you can’t be too careful in dealing with people”?
Based on the evidence, your answer to that question significantly influences your level of happiness in life, your risk of cardiovascular disease and developing chronic pain.
This 2020 paper titled “Trust, happiness and mortality’ involved over 23,000 individuals and concluded that, “…generalized trust showed robust and independent associations with all-cause mortality” – Miething et al 2020
In addition, “Higher levels of perceived patient injustice is associated with worse pain and functional outcomes…” – Grant et al 2022
Sadly, yet understandably, greater sense of injustice and reduced general trust are associated with factors such as childhood trauma or experiences of emotional neglect.
“Chronic pain, particularly pain secondary to trauma, is often accompanied by a feeling of perceived injustice.” – Wolter et al 2025
Our primary job with our patients must be to gain their trust which is gained through validation and never having them sense being dismissed.
“…increases in trust throughout the treatment and end trust scores during physical therapy were related to improved outcomes for patients with CLBP.” – Zimney et al 2024