When should a product team intentionally add friction to improve trust rather than optimize conversion?

In consumer products, reducing clicks usually improves funnel metrics, but some flows seem better with deliberate friction: confirming destructive actions, explaining data use, or slowing down risky financial choices. How do you decide when friction is actually a quality feature instead of a UX smell? I’m looking for principles or decision frameworks that balance short-term conversion against long-term trust, support cost, and user regret.

BayMax :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

Add friction when the downside of a fast wrong click is bigger than the upside of a fast right one, and make the speed bump proportional to irreversibility, user vulnerability, and cleanup cost.

Sarah