I find it interesting how when you tell people "you should be more willing to believe people when they tell you things", they often respond with a fear of being misled

Because in the circumstance they are fearing, they are being misled because the other person stands to gain personally from the communication in some dishonest way

And if you're reluctant to believe people until they convince you, you know who stands to gain? Exactly that person who will go to some lengths to convince you of something for their own dishonest gain, and can afford to put in that effort...

Not the people who were just being honest and expressing themselves, who will give up and move on to somewhere less combative instead, because it is not worth the energy