On the Dynamics of Social Trust in Human Cultures: Aeon Essays

British medical anthropologist David Napier draws parallels between human societies and cell cultures in their responses to resource availability and threats in his analytical essay “On the Dynamics of Social Trust in Human Cultures.” Napier uses the cell colony as a metaphor for human society: both thrive in resource-rich environments, and limit their focus to short-term survival when resources are scarce or when facing existential threats. However, human cultures are more dynamic, with shifting concepts of insiders and outsiders based on trust levels and resource availability. Napier emphasizes the importance of exploring boundaries for hope to flourish, accepting life’s inherent uncertainty, and embracing diversity. Drawing on the differences in mental health between low-income African Americans and white Americans, Napier highlights social exchange as one of the key factors in health, noting that “low-income African Americans are 50 per cent less likely to report experiencing stress than low-income whites” (Napier) despite their higher mortality rates. He challenges the prevailing notions of isolation and self-preservation in crisis contexts such as the COVID-19 pandemic and advocates for a reimagining of our perception and interaction with viruses through improving social trust, pointing to extroversion and social cohesion as one of the most important factors in not just surviving, but thriving.