Dr. Jamil Zaki

So needed right now.

So needed right now.

So needed right now.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

The way that psychologists think of cynicism these days is as a theory, a theory about human beings. It's the idea that generally people at their core are selfish, greedy, and dishonest. Now, that's not to say that a cynical person will deny that somebody could act kindly, for instance, could donate to charity, could help a stranger, but they would say all of that

The way that psychologists think of cynicism these days is as a theory, a theory about human beings. It's the idea that generally people at their core are selfish, greedy, and dishonest. Now, that's not to say that a cynical person will deny that somebody could act kindly, for instance, could donate to charity, could help a stranger, but they would say all of that

The way that psychologists think of cynicism these days is as a theory, a theory about human beings. It's the idea that generally people at their core are selfish, greedy, and dishonest. Now, that's not to say that a cynical person will deny that somebody could act kindly, for instance, could donate to charity, could help a stranger, but they would say all of that

All of that kind and friendly behavior is a thin veneer covering up who we really are, which is self-interested. Another way of putting this is, you know, there are these ancient philosophical questions about people. Are we good or bad, kind or cruel, caring or callous? And cynicism is answering all of those in the relatively bleak way that you might.

All of that kind and friendly behavior is a thin veneer covering up who we really are, which is self-interested. Another way of putting this is, you know, there are these ancient philosophical questions about people. Are we good or bad, kind or cruel, caring or callous? And cynicism is answering all of those in the relatively bleak way that you might.

All of that kind and friendly behavior is a thin veneer covering up who we really are, which is self-interested. Another way of putting this is, you know, there are these ancient philosophical questions about people. Are we good or bad, kind or cruel, caring or callous? And cynicism is answering all of those in the relatively bleak way that you might.

Thanks for bringing that up. Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors. And to me, that quote is enormously powerful because it expresses the idea of self-fulfilling prophecies. You know, there's this... subjective sense that people have, that our version of the world is the world, that we are passively taking in information, veridically, dispassionately. And in fact, that's not the case.

Thanks for bringing that up. Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors. And to me, that quote is enormously powerful because it expresses the idea of self-fulfilling prophecies. You know, there's this... subjective sense that people have, that our version of the world is the world, that we are passively taking in information, veridically, dispassionately. And in fact, that's not the case.

Thanks for bringing that up. Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors. And to me, that quote is enormously powerful because it expresses the idea of self-fulfilling prophecies. You know, there's this... subjective sense that people have, that our version of the world is the world, that we are passively taking in information, veridically, dispassionately. And in fact, that's not the case.

We each construct our own version of the world. And so, for instance, if you think about cynicism, right, are people kind or cruel? That's pretty much an unanswerable question at the level of science. It's a philosophical, some could argue even a theological question. But it turns out that the way you answer that

We each construct our own version of the world. And so, for instance, if you think about cynicism, right, are people kind or cruel? That's pretty much an unanswerable question at the level of science. It's a philosophical, some could argue even a theological question. But it turns out that the way you answer that

We each construct our own version of the world. And so, for instance, if you think about cynicism, right, are people kind or cruel? That's pretty much an unanswerable question at the level of science. It's a philosophical, some could argue even a theological question. But it turns out that the way you answer that

goes a long way in constructing and shaping the life that you live, the decisions that you make. So cynics, maybe it's not so much about who they pretend to be, but it's about who they pretend everybody else is. If you decide that other people are selfish, for instance, you'll be far less likely to trust them.

goes a long way in constructing and shaping the life that you live, the decisions that you make. So cynics, maybe it's not so much about who they pretend to be, but it's about who they pretend everybody else is. If you decide that other people are selfish, for instance, you'll be far less likely to trust them.