Why Cynicism Is Bad For You (and The Surprising Science of Human Goodness)

It’s irrational to be cynical, so why is it becoming more prevalent?

There’s a certain glamor to cynicism. As a culture, we’ve turned cynicism into a symbol of hard-earned wisdom, assuming that those who are cynical are the only ones with the courage to tell us the truth and prepare us for an uncertain future. Psychologist Jamil Zaki challenges that assumption.

Zaki is a professor of psychology at Stanford University, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, and the author of a new book called Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness (2024). Zaki explores the consequences of cynicism, both for cynical individuals and cynical societies, and he also punctures the conventional wisdom that says cynicism is a reasonable response to the world.

Sean Illing asks Jamil Zaki about why cynicism is everywhere, especially if it makes no sense to be this way — and what we, as individuals, can do to challenge our own cynical tendencies.

“If you think hope is naïve and cynicism is wise, get ready to think again. Jamil Zaki is at the forefront of the science of beliefs, and he shows that refusing to see possibility makes it impossible to solve problems. This book is a ray of light for dark days.” — Adam Grant

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We will discuss the episode "Why Cynicism Is Bad For You" from The Gray Area podcast at this meetup. Please listen to the episode in advance (58 minutes) and bring your thoughts, reactions, and queries to share with us at the conversation.

Listen here: Spotify | Apple | The article on Vox

About the podcast:

The Gray Area with Sean Illing takes a philosophy-minded look at culture, technology, politics, and the world of ideas. Each week, we invite a guest to explore a question or topic that matters. From the state of democracy, to the struggle with depression and anxiety, to the nature of identity in the digital age, each episode looks for nuance and honesty in the most important conversations of our time.

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Future topics for this series:

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This link here is my own (regularly updated) list of episode recommendations and potential fodder for future discussions — by default it's sorted from oldest to newest but you can change it with the "sort by" button.