logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
43m 6s

How to Find Hope in a Cynical World

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

It’s hard to stay hopeful these days. Stanford professor Jamil Zaki has been studying the incredible depth of human kindness for decades, but even he gives in to cynicism when he doubts our ability to be civil and cooperative. 

That’s a shame - because shedding cynicism and grasping hope will make you happier and healthier. Jamil and Dr Laurie Santos look at the scientific evidence showing that we should be more trusting of other people and optimistic about our facility to work together. 

Jamil's book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
The Art of Doing Nothing
Struggling to find free time? Feeling constantly busy or burned out? This episode is for you. Dr. Laurie explores the science behind “time famine,” the nagging sense that there’s never enough time in the day. Writer Tom Hodgkinson, author of How to Be Idle, makes a provocative ca ... Show More
35m 17s
May 4
What Screen Time Is Really Doing to Your Body with Manoush Zomorodi
We hear a lot about how screens affect our mental health, but time spent on computers and smartphones is having just as much of an impact on our physical health — from brain fog and weakened core muscles to changes in our posture, our sleep, and even the shape of our eyes. As par ... Show More
45m 34s
Apr 27
Why More Stuff Doesn’t Make You Happier
Buying something new can trigger a rush of dopamine, leading to a momentary boost in happiness. But the rush is fleeting, and over time, our possessions can end up weighing us down more than they lift us up. As part of our series on spring cleaning your wellbeing, Dr. Laurie expl ... Show More
26m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
How To Be More Hopeful In A Cynical World - Dr Jamil Zaki - #841
Dr Jamil Zaki is a psychologist, professor at Stanford University, and an author. In a world filled with fake news, bad news and doom, it’s easy to become cynical. But what does science say about whether cynicism helps or harm us? Why is it so seductive, and how can we all learn ... Show More
1h 8m
Nov 2024
Hope for Cynics with Jamil Zaki
Is cynicism getting in the way of our progress? In “Hope for Cynics”, Stanford psychologist Dr. Jamil Zaki, explores how cynicism is keeping us hopeless and inactive, which prevents us from creating real, lasting change. Zaki shares his ideas on how to escape the “cynicism trap” ... Show More
39m 58s
Sep 2024
How to Cultivate a Positive, Growth-Oriented Mindset | Dr. Jamil Zaki
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Jamil Zaki, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Stanford University, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, and the author of the new book Hope for Cynics. We discuss cynicism and its healthier, more adaptive alternative, healthy s ... Show More
2h 16m
Jul 2025
Hopeful pessimism
We live in a culture obsessed with hope. We are trained to believe that being hopeful is the key to success. Stay positive. The sun will come out tomorrow. Keep the faith. But maintaining that kind of blind hope is hard. When our hopes are dashed, we often feel defeated. In a wor ... Show More
51m 53s
Sep 2024
Why cynicism is bad for you
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 th ... Show More
58m 23s
Sep 2024
How And Why To Avoid The Siren Call Of Cynicism | Dr. Jamil Zaki
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>This Stanford psychologist has evidence that being a cynic is bad for your health, and offers a non-corny alternative. </p> <p>Dr. ... Show More
1h 13m
Oct 2024
466 | Hope for Cynics
<p dir="ltr">The Minimalists speak with Dr. Jamil Zaki from Stanford University about understanding and overcoming hopelessness and cynicism.</p> <p>Discussed in this episode:</p> <p>In what ways does cynicism mimic false hope? (2:24)</p> <p>How do you find hope when you've felt ... Show More
35m 46s
Sep 2024
Hope For Cynics w/ Dr. Jamil Zaki
This week Scott is joined by author and professor of psychology at Stanford University, Dr. Jamil Zaki. Scott and Dr. Zaki discuss tribal cynicism, how hopeful skepticism is different from naive optimism, and the importance of countering “social shark attacks”. Dr. Zaki's website ... Show More
45m 11s
Mar 2025
Pessimism of Strength – Nietzsche’s Formula for Greatness
“It’s easy to be a naive idealist. It’s easy to be a cynical realist. It’s quite another thing to have no illusions and still hold the inner flame.”       Marie-Louise von Franz To be a philosophical pessimist is to be acutely aware of the tragic side of life and to believe that ... Show More
17m 37s
Aug 2024
How to be less cynical (w/ Jamil Zaki)
It’s an age-old question - are people innately good or bad? Watching the news and constantly consuming social media, many of us are cynical about human nature. Psychologist Jamil Zaki suggests that we may be being fooled, that empathy is all around us - we just have to pay a litt ... Show More
36m 34s