How does trust collapse?

A community starts with high trust. Periodic betrayals erode it. Watch how much faster trust falls than it recovers — and why the asymmetry matters.

Each dot = 1 person. Green = trusting. Red = distrustful. Bottom chart = trust and cooperation over time.

What you're seeing

A community where everyone starts with high trust (green). Periodically, betrayal events occur — some people start defecting (red). Watch how trust erodes through the community and whether it can recover.

How to read the graph

Dot color shows trust level: green = high trust/cooperating, red = low trust/defecting, with a gradient between. The screen flashes red during betrayal events. The bottom chart tracks average trust (pink) and cooperation rate (green) over time.

The key lesson

Trust damage is 30x faster than recovery. It takes years to build trust and seconds to destroy it. Below a critical threshold, defection becomes the rational self-protective choice — which further erodes trust, creating a death spiral. This applies to relationships, institutions, markets, and societies.

Average Trust80.0%

Cooperation Rate100.0%

Cooperating120

Defecting0

Press play. A community starts with high trust. Watch what happens when periodic betrayals occur — and notice how much faster trust falls than it recovers.