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Hope for Cynics
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Hope for Cynics

The Surprising Science of Human Goodness

Jamil Zaki
Grand Central, 2024
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As people’s faith in others and in institutions is plummeting, cynicism offers “a seductive worldview, dark and simple.” Happily, says psychologist Jamil Zaki, cynicism is a treatable illness. The cure? A strong dose of “hopeful skepticism.” Alas, popular culture romanticizes cynics. They are depicted as clever and savvy. But such portrayals merely prop up the status quo. After all, if you believe everyone is corrupt, then corrupt elites can operate uninhibited. Drawing from his own experience and extensive studies in human behavior, Zaki reassures the reader that “people are probably better than you think.”

Summary

Cynicism is a “disease of social health.”

In the fourth century BCE, Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope led the original Cynic movement. Diogenes, a “counterculture stuntman,” and his followers wanted to emancipate people from their yearnings for wealth and power. The Cynics acted with incivility and contempt, yet they believed in self-sufficiency and philanthropy, and they called themselves “citizens of the world.” Many centuries later, the word “cynic” now refers to a person who is suspicious not just of social rules but of the people who participate in them. Cynics believe that the worst people in society represent society as a whole. They see all humans as “selfish, greedy, and dishonest.” Such a view undermines humans’ capacity for trust, collaboration, and even love.

To measure people’s trust in one another, economists devised a game, whereby one person can invest up to $10 in a trustee — a stranger who is guaranteed to triple the investment but who can decide how much profit to return to the investor. So if the investor entrusts the full $10 to the trustee, the investment will generate a $30 return. If the trustee splits the return, each will get $...

About the Author

Jamil Zaki teaches psychology at Stanford University and is the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. His primary research focuses on social connection and effective communication. He is the author of The War for Kindness.

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