Why does trust enhance our sense of wellbeing? Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and director of Comprehend the Mind, explained that the study discovered people who feel they can rely on others, whether in close relationships or in broader social systems, experience less stress, better emotional regulation, and a greater feeling of security in the world.

"All of these contribute not only to mental health but also to physical health," she stated. "A lack of trust causes people to experience more loneliness, hypervigilance, or anxiety, and over the long term, chronic stress activates the body's stress system. Studies have already linked chronic stress to inflammation, heart disease, decreased immune function, and even cognitive decline."

Conversely, the ability to trust others can offer a degree of protection. It reduces cortisol levels and helps sustain healthy long-term behaviors – such as an active social life, seeking medical attention in time, and maintaining healthy routines, Hafeez explained. "Trust isn't just a pleasant emotion, it's a powerful psychological resource," she added. "When you cultivate it throughout life, it may contribute to both emotional resilience and longevity."

The research also found that the most crucial kind of trust is interpersonal trust, which is present in close ties with family and friends, and has the greatest effect on a sense of wellbeing. "In the clinic, one of the strongest protective factors in a patient's recovery process is a positive and strong social support system – and this is exactly what the research reinforces," said Dr. Patrice LeGaux, a marriage and family therapist.

LeGaux noted that trust becomes particularly vital in old age, when dependence on others increases. "When you have positive relationships with a stable foundation of trust, you also have higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction."

How can we boost our trust in other people? Even if the benefits of trust are clear, it's not always easy, especially when it has been violated in the past. Nonetheless, mental health experts explained that there are practical methods to begin rebuilding it.

Start small

According to the study, experience and environment influence trust. Dr. Cynthia Viar, a mental health counseling lecturer, explained that the process of building trust starts with small, everyday moments. For example, a person who struggles to trust can observe that colleagues arrive on time, keep their word, and collaborate. "That kind of observation can be reassuring and open the door to deeper, more meaningful interactions," she said. Hafeez recommended paying attention to how people behave consistently. "Do their actions align with their words? Do they listen without judgment? Do they respect your boundaries? Trust grows when behavior is consistent, even in small things."

Understand the risk involved

Increasing trust means taking small, calculated risks, said Dr. Hannah Holmes, a clinical psychologist. "There's always a possibility that people will disappoint us, particularly if it has already happened before, and that causes real fear."

Change your perspective

Trust requires a conscious shift in thought patterns and continuous monitoring of one's mood, explained Dr. Tori Broms. "Our general feeling affects how we see the world. When we are positive and balanced, we are more trusting, and when we are frustrated or pessimistic, we tend to be suspicious."

Examine the source of the difficulty

According to LeGaux, there is usually a good reason why we find it hard to trust. "The first step is to recognize this and legitimize it, to understand why we behave this way. Only then can we ensure that past injuries aren't present in new relationships." She said she asks patients, "Does this pain belong to the current relationship?" – a question that makes it possible to understand that you can be safe now, even if that was not the case in the past. "The real work is learning to trust ourselves, so we will know how to identify when a person in front of us is indeed trustworthy."

Stay in the moment

Hafeez emphasized the importance of being in the present. Don't assume that a new person will behave like someone from the past. "It requires awareness and patience, but it's possible. And it's also important to strengthen emotional boundaries. When we know we can say 'no,' move away, or protect ourselves, it's easier for us to give others a chance."

Give people a chance to prove themselves

Holmes suggested offering small opportunities that allow others to demonstrate trustworthiness, whether it's telling an embarrassing story or delegating a small task to someone else. "Trust is built slowly, and that's okay."

How do you balance trust and caution? LeGaux explained that trust is like a muscle – you need to exercise it. This includes trusting ourselves and our intuition. Instead of trusting blindly or automatically suspecting, Broms suggested practicing "realistic trust building." This involves checking if the person keeps promises, if their behavior is consistent, and if they know how to respect boundaries. Viar added that it is worthwhile to distinguish between "good judgment" and "cynicism." Both involve caution, but cynicism blocks the possibility of trust, while good judgment allows you to remain open to new information.

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Israeli researchers are progressing towards a more effective way to determine whether someone is lying or not, focusing on facial movements rather than physiological responses.

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Polygraph lie detector tests measure a number of different bodily responses such as blood pressure, changes in breathing, and sweating on the palms.

"There is no way to tell if someone is lying 100%. However, there is increasing stress associated with lying," Dr. Kamila Forkosh Lavan explained to i24NEWS.

It is well-known, though, that people can deceive them by controlling their physiological responses.

"This is why polygraph tests are not admissible as evidence in a court of law," said Lavan, who has a Ph.D. in psychology.

Such potential led a team of Israeli researchers at Tel Aviv University to figure out how to use wearable electrodes to better detect a liar.

They measured people when lying and telling the truth, using that information of the face to build a model based on machine learning.

"We can capture muscle movements, big or small, eye movements, and even brain activity," Prof. Yael Hanein at the Center of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at TAU told i24NEWS.

Prof. Dino Levy, an Associate Professor at the Coller School of Management at TAU, noted that the technology "can correctly detect when people are lying 73% of the time."

The researchers noted that the technology won't be ready for another three to five years.

However, the team hopes to soon reach a point where they can understand when people are lying simply through video.

"We could use any camera that is out there to understand when people are lying or not. Zoom interviews, when you get a loan, at the airport, that would be the real breakthrough," Levy said.

This article was first published by i24NEWS

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Can an online emotional support platform replace in-person community or psychological counseling? Investors seem to think so: Circles, an Israeli startup developing an online emotional well-being platform, has just raised $8 million in seed funding.

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Circles was founded in 2020 by CEO Irad Eichler and CRO Dan Landa, formerly a senior marketing lead at Google. Eichler established Circles after watching his mother find comfort in connecting with other patients after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Despite growing global understanding that mental wellness is a critical part of overall health, there are few options outside of psychotherapy, which can be expensive, for people seeking support. Circles is built on the core principle that in order to overcome life's challenges, people need to be heard and supported by people who actually understand what they are going through.

"We all go through issues in our lives where we need someone to talk to. But not every challenge requires therapy and, more importantly, sometimes the best way to feel better is to surround yourself with people who actually understand you in a truly empathetic way," Eichler explains.

"This desire to connect with others who are going through the same challenges often means we wind up on Facebook groups or these other unstructured online forums, but those outlets don't enable the types of meaningful connections needed to help people feel better. With Circles, people never have to face their struggles alone," Eichler adds.

The Circles platform leverages proprietary technology and the expertise of an experienced leadership team that specializes in mental wellbeing to create supportive communities that are led by professional facilitators and built on mutual care. The platform matches groups of six to eight people facing similar issues and offers them intimate and private emotional support sessions.

Just months after its soft launch, the Circles platform matched thousands of people facing similar challenges and facilitated more than 100,000 hours of support.

"Over the last year and a half, there has been a sharp increase in anxiety and emotional distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing millions of people to seek help and relief," said Sergey Gribov, a partner at Flint Capital, one of the leading investors in the latest fundraising round. "The power of Circles is that it makes emotional health accessible to anyone, anywhere and it's as easy as simply opening an app."

Leading contributors to the seed round also included NFX and Sir Ronald Cohen, Jeff Swartz and others.

To learn more about Circles or to sign up for a free trial, visit circlesup.com.

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The desecrated grave was discovered by a bereaved mother who was visiting the cemetery. Police officers arrived on the scene found a note on Ben-Yigal's grave that read, "Your son has 72 hours to be resurrected."

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Investigators identified the suspect, a 41-year-old resident of Rishon Lezion, with the help of security camera footage taken from a construction site adjacent to the cemetery. One of the cameras shows a woman digging around Ben-Yigal's grave. Police identified the suspect and proceeded to locate her whereabouts.

Police also collected various pieces of evidence from the grave itself, including tools and the handwritten note, all of which have been sent for forensic analysis.

The suspect has been jailed while the investigation continues. A hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, and police were expected to ask the court to extend her remand.

From the time the incident was first reported, police believed that the case was a criminal one, and not a terrorist hate crime. Eighteen years ago, the suspect survived a terrorist attack in Jerusalem and has been diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

The woman has not yet given investigators her version of the story and is slated to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether or not she is capable of standing trial. A year ago, she was a suspect in a similar incident involving the grave site of a relative. 

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To commemorate the honor, she is establishing the Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer Endowed Scholarship for Psychology.

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"This is my very first honorary doctorate in Israel, and the university of Ben-Gurion in the Negev is the right place for that," says Westheimer.

"And now, if you donate money to the scholarship in psychology established at the university, I'll tell you a secret: You are going to have great sex for the rest of your life!"

Throughout her life and her career, Westheimer has maintained her commitment to the Jewish people and Israel.

In 1938, she was sent on a Kindertransport to Switzerland by her parents, who later perished in the Holocaust. After World War II, at age 17, she went to Palestine, where she fought and was seriously wounded as a sniper in the Haganah during the War of Independence.

"I am an orphan of the Holocaust and was in Israel in 1948 when David Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel," she says. "We danced all night! I would have loved to have met him because he was brilliant and short."

"How fitting that a woman of Dr. Ruth's stature, who heard David Ben-Gurion announce the new State of Israel as a young woman in Israel in 1948, will receive an honorary degree from the university that bears his name seven decades later amidst a long and distinguished career. It is a great honor for BGU to recognize her achievements during our 50th anniversary," says Professor Daniel Chamovitz, president of BGU.

With an uninhibited approach to sex education and therapy, Westheimer, 91, transformed such conversations for nearly four decades. She has appeared on hundreds of television shows as an expert on human sexuality, traveled worldwide giving speeches and lectures, and just published her 45th book.

The critically acclaimed documentary "Ask Dr. Ruth," in which she reflects on her life and career, debuted last year and is available on Hulu.

Her media career began in 1980 when her radio show, "Sexually Speaking," premiered on WYNY-FM in New York City. By 1983, it was the area's top-rated show. In 1984, NBC radio began syndicating it nationwide as the "Dr. Ruth Show," which ran until 1990.

"Dr. Ruth has impacted the lives of people around the world by bringing human sexuality into public discourse," says Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. "Her uncanny energy is a true force of nature. Dr. Ruth is more productive today than most people half her age."

Westheimer earned her Ed.D. degree from Columbia University's Teacher's College and holds an M.A. in sociology from the New School for Social Research. She has taught at Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, Adelphi University, Lehman College, Brooklyn College and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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