Observed trustworthy character solves commitment problems beyond pure self-interest

Evidence

If sentiments for vengeance, generosity, trustworthiness, and so forth have developed genetically, one may act from them even when it is not in one’s interest to do so. Hence there may be something left over from or conflicting with the rational-choice account. Generally, however, a person with observable character traits for trustworthiness “will benefit by being able to solve important commitment problems. He will be trustworthy in situations where the purely self-interested person would not, and will therefore be much sought-after as a partner in situations [in which trustworthiness matters].” (Frank 1988, 14- The evolutionary account that Frank and many others present is an account of developing dispositions for trustworthiness or of essentially biological signals that belie untrustworthiness or falsity (see also Bateson 1988). — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 625

Categorization

• XREF: Frank’s commitment-device reasoning connects to the reader’s existing economic-theory knowledge, notably the law-merchant material on how reputation substitutes for formal enforcement.