Author Pallabi GhoshalWhy Do We Trust the Wrong People? The Psychology Behind Deception
[Psychology Behind My Fiction Series – Blog 1 :: Questions about trust and deception were part of what inspired me while writing AN UNEXPECTED DETOUR]
Trust is a powerful force that shapes human relationships. We make many decisions based on trust. We trust collagues with responsibilities and we end up trusting strangers in sharing a ride, signing a contract, or following advice.
But history and personal experiences show that trust can be dangerously misplaced. Deception rarely arrives wearing a warning sign and that fascinates me…
People who betray us are seldom the ones we suspect. They are mostly the ones who appear the most convincing, the most helpful, or the most trustworthy. They understand what we want to hear and how we want to feel. This raises an uncomfortable question:
Why do intelligent humans ignore red flags?
This has more to do with emotions. Human beings tend to seek connection. We want to believe that people are who they appear to be. We want our relationships to be genuine. As soon as we invest emotionally in a person, our minds starts filtering information through that investment. We attach explanations with inconsistencies. We rationalize suspicious behavior. We convince ourselves that our instincts must be wrong simply because the mind knows that the alternative is too painful to accept.
As a writer and an observer of human behavior, this psychological conflict between trust and doubt has always fascinated me. Not all villains hiding in the shadows contribute to gripping stories. Sometimes stories are about ordinary people struggling to determine whom they can trust when appearances become unreliable.
When it comes to real life, deception happens minus the drama. It gets evident through omissions, half-truths, and carefully constructed narratives. And when the truth emerges, the emotional damage has already been done.
I feel that is why stories involving psychological suspense resonate so deeply with readers. They reflect the fear of realizing that someone we trusted was never who we believed them to be.
As an author, I am repeatedly drawn to these themes because they explore trust, vulnerability, manipulation, perception, and self-deception.
I was curious to delve deeper into trust and deception and those questions were part of what inspired me while writing AN UNEXPECTED DETOUR. The novel explores how relationships, assumptions, and hidden truths can shape lives in ways we never anticipate.
Some of our life’s biggest detours begin with a simple belief:
“I trust this person blindly.”
And that belief might turn out to be the greatest illusion of all.
— Pallabi Ghoshal
Author of AN UNEXPECTED DETOUR
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