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Medieval guilds existed for this reason. Trust is always more difficult to gain in cities because of the anonymity they afford, and guilds help to offset this problem. If it is costly and time-consuming to join one, the only people who enter are those with a serious commitment to a craft. Guilds are also self-policing; the upfront cost of being admitted adds to the fear of being ejected.

Brand companies can command higher prices for similar products and services from companies without brands because they are trusted for what they promise. So trust is an intangible that has increasing value in a copy-saturated world.

Trust begins to emerge when we have a sense that another person or organization is driven by things other than their own self-gain.

An Emotional Bank Account is a metaphor that describes the amount of trust that's been built up in a relationship. It's the feeling of safeness you have with another human being.

To quote a Caribbean proverb, 'Trust grows at the speed of a coconut tree and falls at the speed of a coconut.'

Trade may seem a very pragmatic activity, one that needs no fictive basis. Yet the fact is that no animal other than Sapiens engages in trade, and all the Sapiens trade networks about which we have detailed evidence were based on fictions. Trade cannot exist without trust, and it is very difficult to trust strangers. The global trade network of today is based on our trust in such fictional entities as the dollar, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the totemic trademarks of corporations. When two strangers in a tribal society want to trade, they will often establish trust by appealing to a common god, mythical ancestor or totem animal.

Reciprocation, reputation and pre-commitment signalling are the three big mechanisms that underpin trust. You can repeatedly use a small local firm that needs your loyalty, you can use a larger company with a brand reputation, such as Addison Lee or Green Tomato Cars, or you can trust someone who has made a big investment in getting a badge and stands to lose everything if he is caught cheating.