Oddly enough, I am in the middle of completing some required training as a youth coach, and watching videos about how creeps groom their victims. Ugh. But I think this is exactly what you mean. The conman uses his knowledge of how relationships work to establish trust. Well, I am glad it worked out much better for you! As we mature and become smarter as result of experience, perhaps it simply becomes a more sophisticated trust. Thinking out loud now -- I really don't know about that. It seems like we really do just have to keep trusting, but maybe just have a keener sense of warning signs (?)