Dr. Jamil Zaki

How empathic is the average Stanford student? How much do you like helping people who are struggling? What do you think the average Stanford student would respond to that? How much do you want to meet new people on campus? How do you think the average student would respond? And we discovered not one, but two Stanfords.

How empathic is the average Stanford student? How much do you like helping people who are struggling? What do you think the average Stanford student would respond to that? How much do you want to meet new people on campus? How do you think the average student would respond? And we discovered not one, but two Stanfords.

How empathic is the average Stanford student? How much do you like helping people who are struggling? What do you think the average Stanford student would respond to that? How much do you want to meet new people on campus? How do you think the average student would respond? And we discovered not one, but two Stanfords.

The first was made up of real students who are enormously compassionate, who really want to meet new friends, who want to help their friends when they're struggling. The second Stanford existed in students' minds. Their imagination of the average undergraduate was much less friendly, much less compassionate, much pricklier and more judgmental than real students were.

The first was made up of real students who are enormously compassionate, who really want to meet new friends, who want to help their friends when they're struggling. The second Stanford existed in students' minds. Their imagination of the average undergraduate was much less friendly, much less compassionate, much pricklier and more judgmental than real students were.

The first was made up of real students who are enormously compassionate, who really want to meet new friends, who want to help their friends when they're struggling. The second Stanford existed in students' minds. Their imagination of the average undergraduate was much less friendly, much less compassionate, much pricklier and more judgmental than real students were.

So again, we've got this discrepancy between what people perceive and social reality. We found that students who underestimated their peers were less willing to do things like strike up a conversation with a stranger or confide in a friend when they were struggling. And that left them more isolated and lonelier. This is the kind of vicious cycle of cynicism, right?

So again, we've got this discrepancy between what people perceive and social reality. We found that students who underestimated their peers were less willing to do things like strike up a conversation with a stranger or confide in a friend when they were struggling. And that left them more isolated and lonelier. This is the kind of vicious cycle of cynicism, right?

So again, we've got this discrepancy between what people perceive and social reality. We found that students who underestimated their peers were less willing to do things like strike up a conversation with a stranger or confide in a friend when they were struggling. And that left them more isolated and lonelier. This is the kind of vicious cycle of cynicism, right?

But more recently, my lab, led by a great postdoc, Ray Pei, tried an intervention. And the intervention was as simple as you can imagine. It was show students the real data. We put posters in a number of dorms, experimental dorms we called them, that simply said, hey, did you know 95% of students at Stanford would like to help their friends who are struggling?

But more recently, my lab, led by a great postdoc, Ray Pei, tried an intervention. And the intervention was as simple as you can imagine. It was show students the real data. We put posters in a number of dorms, experimental dorms we called them, that simply said, hey, did you know 95% of students at Stanford would like to help their friends who are struggling?

But more recently, my lab, led by a great postdoc, Ray Pei, tried an intervention. And the intervention was as simple as you can imagine. It was show students the real data. We put posters in a number of dorms, experimental dorms we called them, that simply said, hey, did you know 95% of students at Stanford would like to help their friends who are struggling?

85% want to make friends with new students. We also worked with Frosh 101, a one unit class that most first year students take and show them the data. We're just showing students to each other. And we found that when students learned this information, they were more willing to take social risks.

85% want to make friends with new students. We also worked with Frosh 101, a one unit class that most first year students take and show them the data. We're just showing students to each other. And we found that when students learned this information, they were more willing to take social risks.

85% want to make friends with new students. We also worked with Frosh 101, a one unit class that most first year students take and show them the data. We're just showing students to each other. And we found that when students learned this information, they were more willing to take social risks.

And six months later, they were more likely to have a greater number of friends to be more socially integrated. So here again is a tragic and vicious cycle, But then there's a virtuous cycle that can replace it if we just show people better information.

And six months later, they were more likely to have a greater number of friends to be more socially integrated. So here again is a tragic and vicious cycle, But then there's a virtuous cycle that can replace it if we just show people better information.

And six months later, they were more likely to have a greater number of friends to be more socially integrated. So here again is a tragic and vicious cycle, But then there's a virtuous cycle that can replace it if we just show people better information.

Again, I don't imagine that there'll ever be a social media feed where everybody has to post and you see an actually representative sample of the world. But if we could, I do think that that would generate a more hopeful perspective because the truth is more hopeful than what we're seeing.

Again, I don't imagine that there'll ever be a social media feed where everybody has to post and you see an actually representative sample of the world. But if we could, I do think that that would generate a more hopeful perspective because the truth is more hopeful than what we're seeing.