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 skepticism, and how embracing healthy skepticism can enhance both our emotional and physical health.

We discuss the data on how cynicism affects us as individuals and in relationships, causing lower levels of happiness, poorer physical health, and reduced creativity, trust, and collaboration. He also explains novel data-supported tools that we can use to shift ourselves towards a more informed yet more positive worldview and how to adopt a mindset of “hopeful skepticism” — the ideal stance to navigate life. 

Dr. Zaki offers listeners a positive, hopeful view of humanity grounded in cutting-edge research from his laboratory and other top laboratories. He also offers science-supported protocols to navigate relationships in person and online better. 

Access the full show notes, including referenced articles, books, people mentioned, and additional resources at hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

00:00:00 Dr. Jamil Zaki

00:02:12 Sponsors: Maui Nui, Joovv & Waking Up

00:06:59 Cynicism

00:12:38 Children, Attachment Styles & Cynicism

00:17:29 Cynicism vs. Skepticism, Complexity

00:23:30 Culture Variability & Trust

00:26:28 Sponsor: AG1

00:27:40 Negative Health Outcomes; Cynicism: Perception & Intelligence

00:35:59 Stereotypes, Threats

00:39:48 Cooperative Environments, Collaboration & Trust

00:44:05 Competition, Conflict, Judgement

00:48:46 Cynics, Awe, “Moral Beauty”

00:55:26 Sponsor: Function

00:57:13 Cynicism, Creativity & Workplace

01:04:19 Assessing Cynicism; Assumptions & Opportunities

01:11:11 Social Media & Cynicism, “Mean World Syndrome”

01:18:35 Negativity Bias, Gossip 

01:24:03 Social Media & Cynicism, Polarization, “Hopeful Skepticism” 

01:32:59 AI, Bias Correction

01:39:05 Tools: Mindset Skepticism; Reciprocity Mindset; Social Savoring

01:46:05 Tools: Leaps of Faith; Forecasting; Encounter Counting

01:51:33 Tool: Testing & Sharing Core Beliefs

01:58:09 Polarization vs. Perceived Polarization, Politics

02:06:06 Challenging Conversations, Questioning Perceptions 

02:14:04 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Disclaimer & Disclosures