If you recognize these 10 signs, you are definitely too quick to trust people

Don’t hand out your trust to just anyone.

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Placing your trust in someone is a part of forming close, meaningful connections. But if you are not careful, you can end up trusting someone without reasonable evidence that they are trustworthy. Being too trusting can cause all sorts of problems in your life, so it’s a good idea to check for these signs that indicate you trust too quickly.

1. You share personal information too soon.

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Many people don’t understand good pacing when building social connections. The popularity of social media and reduction of face-to-face communication has made it harder for people to connect. The result is they have fallen into the habit of sharing way too much both online and in person. It’s okay to have some secrets and keep things to yourself. In fact, it’s an important part of paving the way to a healthy friendship. Too much, too fast can scare people off.

2. You ignore red flags.

A man in a suit and glasses is speaking to a woman in a black outfit. They are standing outside, next to a building with a tiled wall. The man holds a pen and notebook, appearing engaged in conversation.

In many cases, red flags start popping up pretty early. You may be the kind of person who wants to see the best in people so you brush off inconsistent stories or manipulative behaviors that might be a clue to who that person actually is. Gossip is another big red flag that many people ignore. In many cases, gossips may just look like a sociable person until you really consider what they’re talking about.

3. You forgive broken promises.

A man and woman in a white room appear to be in a tense conversation. The woman sits on the edge of the bed, looking down, while the man lies on the bed, gazing at her. Both are wearing casual, white attire.

Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes forgiveness is needed. The issue arises when the person keeps making the same mistakes, goes back on their word, or just ignores their promises altogether. They may deny making the promise or constantly forget. Accountability is essential for trustworthy behavior. If you regularly forgive someone who breaks their promises without holding them to a standard, then they may walk all over you.

4. You believe everything without question.

A woman with long blonde hair is sitting outdoors, engaged in conversation with another person. She is wearing a black top and a necklace with a cross pendant. The background is blurred with greenery.

Trust is something that must be earned, built by regularly displaying honest, trustworthy behavior. A trustworthy person is someone who follows through on their word and accepts accountability when they don’t. Furthermore, honest people will be happy to explain if you don’t understand or if you do have questions. There are likely times in your life when something someone has said has pinged on your radar as not quite truthful. Ask questions when you feel that.

5. You confide in people you barely know.

Two women are sitting at a table in a café, holding coffee cups and engaged in conversation. One woman has blonde hair and a gray suit, while the other has brown hair and a dark blazer. The background features wooden walls and soft lighting.

It takes time to build a healthy, trustworthy connection. You have to be aware of the kind of person they are before you decide to share your secrets and vulnerabilities. If you’re not careful, you may find that you are the center of gossip and unwanted attention because they don’t value your privacy in the same way that you should. Furthermore, by exposing these vulnerabilities, you are giving them ways to manipulate you. They may not be the kind of person that you can trust with sensitive information.

6. You lend without thinking about it.

Two women are interacting. One, in a yellow blazer, gestures while showing money. The other, in a black outfit, holds dollar bills and a wallet, looking amused. They're standing outdoors near a building.

People who are too trusting may lend their money or stuff to someone without really thinking about if they should. Furthermore, they may also lend by taking people at their word. “I’ll have the money on Friday!” And then when Friday rolls around they don’t have it. Then you wind up hurt because this untrustworthy person didn’t follow through on their word. That all could have been avoided with some healthy skepticism.

7. You assume everyone has a good heart.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a beige sweater smiles warmly while resting her head on her hand. She appears to be in conversation with a person in the foreground, who is partially visible and facing her. The background is softly blurred.

Not everyone is a good person. Not everyone acts with honesty and integrity. Optimism is nice, but it’s important to maintain a realistic perspective about people. The reality is that many people aren’t all that good. They may not be bad, exactly, but they’re often not that good. A majority of people are self-interested, first and foremost. They may not be trying to be bad people, or hurt anyone, but they do because they’re acting in their self-interest first.

8. You rarely set healthy boundaries.

Two women sit cross-legged on a grassy area in a park, engaged in a serious conversation. One has shoulder-length blonde hair and wears glasses and a gray T-shirt, while the other has long dark hair and wears a black T-shirt and maroon pants. Trees are in the background.

Boundaries are vital to healthy relationships because other people are not mind readers. Other people can’t know how you want to be treated unless you are able to communicate that clearly to them. If you don’t have healthy boundaries, then you will experience more confrontation or rejection because you can’t communicate how you want to be treated and they can’t understand how to navigate around you. Everyone’s different, with different boundaries and tolerances.

9. You downplay bad behavior.

A man wearing a blue shirt and jeans is sitting next to a woman in business attire by a window. He appears to be in conversation with the woman, gesturing with one hand and resting his other hand on her shoulder. The background shows a blurred outdoor scene.

Instead of ignoring red flags, you may instead find reasons to accept or excuse bad behavior. Regardless of the reasons why someone is doing something wrong, they are still choosing to do something wrong. Their reasons, whatever they may be, don’t make it okay for them to do the wrong thing. You run into this most often with people who want to be compassionate to others. Someone in a bad place does something wrong and they excuse it because that person is in a bad place. That’s called enabling.

10. You ignore your gut instincts.

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You’re ignoring an important safeguard if you are consistently going against your better judgment. In many cases, your subconscious picks up on sketchy behavior before your conscious mind. You may feel a pull of skepticism or that something doesn’t feel right. Ignoring that feeling is a quick way to being hurt, manipulated, or taken advantage of. Intuition is your brain picking up on subtle signals that something is off. You may not know what, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.