Uncertainty, Trust, and Commitment Formation in the United States and Japan

A theory of trust proposed by Yamagishi and Yamagishi provides the basis for the prediction that (1) social uncertainty promotes commitment formation between particular partners and (2) high trusters tend to form committed relations less frequently than would low trusters when facing social uncertainty. These predictions receive support in two experiments conducted in the United States and Japan. The findings provide empirical support for the theory of trust that emhasizes the role of general trust (trust in others in general) in emancipating people fromt the confines of safe, but closed relationships. The results also offer a theoretical explanation for what have been viewed in the past as cultural differences.