Seven things you're doing that make people distrust you immediately

From not being clear about your expectations of others to praising your superiors too much, here are the top reasons why people may doubt you

(Shutterstock)

You can lose someone's trust pretty quickly.

All it takes is a missed deadline, a weird facial expression or a feeling that you just don't get the person you're talking to.

Social scientists and other experts have spent a lot of time thinking and talking about all the ways to make people distrust you. We've listed seven of the most common below.

You have a big gap between your words and your actions

Not keeping to promises can damage your relationships (Shutterstock)

The former Marines who wrote the book Spark call it the "say-do gap". It's the space between your words and your actions.

According to the authors, the wider the gap, the less trustworthy you seem.

For example, if you say you will turn in a project by Friday, forgetting that you have another big assignment due on Thursday, you will want to turn in that project by Friday anyway. If you don’t stay accountable, you risk hurting your own reputation.

You're not clear about your expectations for others

The Spark authors say that leaders should communicate to their reports exactly what they want done to establish trustworthiness.

“Chances are good," the authors write, "that someone's poor performance is a result of something you did not do versus something [your co-worker] did do."

Still, the authors say it's better to communicate what you want accomplished than how, so as to inspire creative problem-solving.

You display a tight-lipped smile

A 2016 study published in Proceedings of the 18th ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction found that certain facial expressions are perceived as signs of untrustworthiness — even if they're not really.

For example, participants in the study – who role-played negotiations in pairs – thought that controlled smiles were signs of untrustworthiness, even though they weren't.

The only behaviour that was perceived as a sign of untrustworthiness and really was such a sign?

How much someone talked.

You don't understand what other people value

Counterintelligence agent Robin Dreeke recommends using the platinum rule for getting people to trust you. Instead of treating others how you would like to be treated (the golden rule), treat them how they would like to be treated.

In other words: talk in terms of what's important to them, in a way they can readily understand and they'll be more inclined to give you what you want.

You praise management too much

Valorising your superiors at work excessively can lead to your colleague's questioning your integrity (Shutterstock)

Business Insider's Aine Cain spoke to Vip Sandhir, the CEO and founder of employee-engagement platform HighGround, who said there's always that one co-worker who can seemingly do no wrong.

"While this employee may be perfect on paper, there's just something about them that comes off as disingenuous," Mr Sandhir said.

He added, "This co-worker is extremely polished and will do whatever it takes to move up the corporate ladder, which can ultimately create severe trust issues among team members."

You use wishy-washy language

Telling your boss "I believe I did X" is a sure-fire way to make them trust you less.

It's an example of the "wishy-washy language" cited by Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behaviour and Thrive in Your Job, in a previous interview with Business Insider.

Other examples of phrases not to use in conversation with your manager include "I can't promise this, but..." and "I'll try".

You don't trust other people

Business Insider's Rachel Gillett spoke to Heidi Grant Halvorson, a professor at Columbia University and the author of No One Understands You And What To Do About It, who said that trust is often reciprocal.

If you're overly guarded, people will act the same around you. Ms Halvorson recommends trusting people with select personal details about your life.

"Far from seeing you negatively, the perceiver is likely to feel that this invitation to intimacy indicates that you are on the same team."

This kind of gradual self-disclosure is also a great way to make friends.

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