They say love makes the world go round. But I’d like to add something else to that – trust. 

Imagine a world where we never trust one another. Where we second-guess everyone’s intentions and keep ourselves safe with layers of suspicion. 

Sounds exhausting, right? 

For society to function and for us to live in harmony, we need to be able to trust one another and give people the benefit of the doubt when they make mistakes. 

That said, I also know that there are some types of people who are simply not deserving of our precious trust. 

In this article, let’s explore what psychologists have to say about this matter. Here are 10 types of people in life you simply cannot trust, according to psychology:

1) Bad gossipers

I’m sure we’ve all encountered this type of person at one point in our lives. They’re everywhere! 

Heck, we ourselves might have even engaged in gossiping behavior; after all, we’re human and a little chat about others can sometimes feel like just a way to connect. 

Psychologists say that gossip isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s an exchange of social information that can help us learn more about our social world. 

When does it become bad? When it’s done in a bad context – recklessly or with malicious intent in order to get ahead. 

The ones who do this aren’t deserving of our trust, so steer clear of them. You never know if you’ll be the next target of their gossip!

2) The fair-weather friend

Equally untrustworthy is that friend who seems to connect with you only when the going’s good or when they need something from you. 

I once had a friend like this. We’d have great times together during celebrations or when she needed support. But during my own rough patches and I’d reach out to her for support, all I’d get was…crickets. 

Eventually, I came to see that I just couldn’t rely on her. That’s what happens with fair-weather friends. 

According to Dr. Leon Seltzer of Psychology Today, “The two main attributes of steadfast, long-lasting friendships are loyalty and reliability. And these are missing in fair-weather friends.”

Real talk: One-sided relationships never inspire trust. They aren’t worthy of your time and energy. 

3) People who never apologize

How about the ones who don’t ever seem to get that they’re the one at fault in a situation? 

Or if they do apologize, it’s kind of a fake apology, like: 

• “I’m sorry YOU feel that way”
• I’m sorry IF I offended you…”
• “If you hadn’t made me so mad yesterday, I wouldn’t have said those words…”
• “If I need to apologize, then you need to apologize too. We need to apologize together.”

Notice the lack of accountability? You simply can’t trust someone like that. 

As life coach and counselor Becky Lennox puts it: 

“When individuals in a relationship lack self-accountability, it will lead to various challenges and negative outcomes for both partners. It can be a never-ending cycle of dysfunction in the relationship.”

4) The perpetual victim

Speaking of accountability brings me to this other type of blame-shifting person – the eternal victim. 

Do you know someone like that? Nothing is ever their fault – it’s their parents, their circumstances, their boss, their spouse…hell, it’s even the universe conspiring against them! 

Trusting someone who always plays the victim is tough. As I mentioned earlier, lack of accountability makes it hard for relationships to thrive. It’s hard to be with someone who feels powerless to change what needs to be changed. 

Then there’s the fact that playing the victim can be a way to manipulate people. 

Some people do have a victim mentality caused by low self-esteem. But others consciously do it because it’s a way to get others to give in to what they want. 

5) Egocentric people

VeryWellMind defines egocentrism as “someone’s inability to understand that another person’s view or opinion may be different than their own.”

In other words, they: 

• Lack empathy
• Can’t recognize what others need
• Make decisions only around what they need

Being with an egocentric person feels like another one-sided relationship. Dr. Lisa Rankin explains why this isn’t someone you can trust: 

“A relationship should never be a platform that serves one person’s ego and pushes the other person down – just so the “one up” person can win at all costs, no matter the emotional toll on the other person.”

Hard to trust someone who’s always out for number 1, isn’t it? You can’t rely on them to have your back or even to just consider how you feel. 

6) Liars and cheaters

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you can’t trust liars and cheaters. We’re not talking here about occasional or little white lies – after all, nearly all of us do that from time to time. 

We’re talking about a clear pattern of dishonesty and deception, where someone often: 

• Makes vague statements
• Tells half-truths
• Withholds information
• Embellishes stories
• Tells outright lies
• Engages in cheating behavior

Now, this is tricky, because sometimes people do feel remorse and learn. Some couples who have struggled with infidelity do manage to buck the odds and go on to have a happy, faithful relationship.

But sadly, those instances are few. You see, dishonesty is something the brain can easily adapt to, as one study found. Which means, the more a person lies, the more their brain gets used to lying.

In the end, it really depends on your decision – should you give a liar/cheater another chance? Only you know the answer to that.

7) Gaslighters

“You’re just being paranoid, that never happened.”

“I never said that; you’re remembering wrong.”

“You’re too sensitive, I was just joking!”

Ever had someone tell you statements like this? You might have come into contact with a gaslighter – another type of person you simply can’t trust. 

In fact, gaslighting isn’t just untrustworthy; it’s downright abusive. 

Psychologists say that the goal of gaslighters is to “manipulate the other person and present their own thoughts and feelings as the truth.”

I’ve been in a relationship with this type, and let me tell you – never again. Never again will I let anyone make me doubt my sanity and memory and make it so hard for me to distinguish truth from lies. 

I hope you steer clear of this type – you don’t need someone telling you you’re imagining things when you know exactly what you saw and heard. 

8) People who are mean to animals

There are animal lovers and non-animal lovers. And then there are people who are just cruel to animals.

Watch any documentary about a psychopath, and you’ll likely find a common thread in them – animal cruelty. 

Okay, let’s be clear – not all psychopaths are cruel to animals. But all the same, being mean to animals is a warning sign that the person isn’t a decent one. 

Anyone who is unkind to the defenseless really lacks empathy and kindness. Animals can’t always protect themselves or tell us when they’re hurt, so they depend on us to be kind. 

If someone chooses to be harsh or cruel instead, it’s worrying. It makes you wonder how they treat others who are vulnerable, like kids and the elderly. 

It often points to bigger issues with how they view and treat those who are at their mercy.

Run as far away from them as you can. 

9) People who are too nice

Is the opposite end of the spectrum true, then? Do too-nice people deserve 100% of our trust? 

You would think so, but surprisingly, no. Remember the old proverb “Anything in excess is harmful”?

That certainly applies here as well. The problem with people who are too nice is that it smacks of inauthenticity. No one is that nice, and certainly not all the time!

Personally, I’m more wary of people who are overly nice than people who are rude and mean upfront. 

You know why? Because with the latter, you can see the red flags right away. You know very early on to steer clear of them.

But with the former, not so much. You can get sucked in with kindness and flattery and love-bombing behavior, only to find out later on that they had ulterior motives. 

At its most innocent, being too nice may simply be a desire to be loved and validated. At its most sinister, it can be a mask for much darker impulses. 

Either way, it’s hard to trust someone whose niceness covers up who they really are. 

10) People who violate your boundaries

A few years back, I had a colleague who just couldn’t grasp the concept of personal space and time. It started with him frequently dropping by my desk to chat, even when I was obviously busy. 

At first, I thought he was just friendly, but then it got to the point where he would call me late at night or on weekends to discuss non-urgent work matters. And he went on even after I told him not to do it. 

It made me feel very uncomfortable, way beyond mere annoyance. It gave me a feeling that this person couldn’t be trusted. 

Now, just because someone has overstepped doesn’t automatically mean they don’t respect your boundaries. They might just not be aware, in which case, it’s your duty to inform them about your boundaries. 

If they still do it afterwards, then that’s someone you can’t trust. Because then it’s clear that your comfort and peace of mind don’t matter to them. 

Final thoughts

Can people change? Absolutely, but it often requires a genuine desire to do so and a lot of hard work. 

If they’re willing to do that and you see positive changes happening, then maybe you could eventually come to a place of trust. 

But until then, best to protect yourself. Stick with people who respect you and contribute positively to your life. Trust is earned through consistent, respectful actions, so give it to those who truly deserve it.