Difference Between Trust and Believe

While trust and belief are two relatively similar concepts, differences exist in their actual usage. Trust has a more intimate and personal element to it, where you tend to rely upon others’ strengths and abilities for guidance and recommendations. Belief on the other hand, is about believing someone, or something; it can be spiritual or religious in nature where you acknowledge and accept the reality or existence of something.

Trust denotes your belief in a person’s abilities. You cannot imagine your friends or family members betraying you or deliberately letting you down – you trust them. Even if they do disappoint, you believe them when they tell you the reason behind it. Your belief in the truth of their statements is just that – your acceptance of them. The extent of both your trust and belief may vary, depending on the nature of your relation with the person in question.

Therefore, an important distinction is the nature of the two terms. Almost all human beings will be able relate to the feeling of trust more easily than beliefs, which are open to one’s own interpretation. For instance, an act of worship can vary from person to person, depending on beliefs, whereas trust can be universally attributed to nearly all relationships.

Furthermore, trust comes with time. You don’t trust a person without reason, since it has greater implications. Belief on the other hand, does not always need time. You can start believing something in an instant, provided you are convinced about its truth or existence. Trust is also seen as something personal, given to those who earn it, whereas belief does not necessarily come with such strings.

We can say, the line between trust and belief is very thing, with both denoting your confidence in something. However, trust is deeper and more intimate than belief. If you trust someone, you may rely on him/her to do something you may not believe can be done – such is the difference between the two.