Polite concealment of true feelings can actually build trustworthy commitment

Evidence

The shambling, slightly dishonest nature of the niceties of private discourse and the concealment of official debates behind closed doors may actually contribute on balance to the possibilities of trusting relevant individuals and groups. In fact, your willingness to say polite things to me, whom you may dislike or otherwise harshly judge, may be a clue to how committed you are likely to be to fulfilling some agreement we make. By covering your feelings, you focus on the benefits from dealing with me, and you give yourself reason for trustworthiness in our dealings. — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 455

Categorization

• XREF: A surprising counterpoint to the blindness scenario: concealment normally sustains trust, so removing the ability to read others (blindness) removes both deceit and the civilizing cover.