Cynics are Suckers: Why You Need to be Skeptically Hopeful Instead
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I remember when I made the move toward sincerity in my mid- to late twenties. Before then, if you'd called me a cynic, I would have worn the label with pride. Being cynical, in my mind, was equal to being smart and hip, to realizing that the world was mostly made of of grifters and suckers living lives of quiet desperation. American culture was phony and plastic, as Holden Caulfield taught us, and anyone who thought otherwise was a sap.
I'm not sure what made me pivot. Maybe it was just a necessary step toward becoming a suburban sellout myself. Or maybe it was the realization that the ironic worldview I had carefully cultivated was making me miserable. I started looking for the good in people, even in the bankers and bosses, and I let myself take pleasure in the imperfect world we live in.
I recalled this phase in my development when we had Jamil Zaki on the Next Big Idea Daily podcast to talk about his new book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness .
Jamil is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. In his book he cites research that shows that cynicism is not only not making you any smarter, it's actually making you cognitively less perceptive and physically sicker. Depression, diabetes, and heart disease all seem to show up more in cynics than others.
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But that doesn't mean you need to put on rose-colored glasses and act as if everything and everyone is wonderful. Jamil proposes a healthier mindset he calls hopeful skepticism -- an understanding that people are probably better than we think combined with an openness to contrary evidence.
Hear Jamil Zaki explain how to cultivate hopeful skepticism:
We also heard a lot of other big ideas this week, like:
Have a listen to these ideas and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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2 个月I appreciated your thoughts on the nuances between cynicism & skepticism, hopefulness & optimism. I see how deciding to be hopeful can feel less stressful and be more resilient in the world. Great takeaway.