Are You Tired of Feeling Cynical? Hopeful Skepticism Could Be a Way Out

It’s easy to be cynical about the state of the world—even when
you’re a researcher who studies empathy and kindness. Stanford
University psychologist Jamil Zaki turned his own negativity into
his new book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human
Goodness. The book busts common myths about cynicism and explores
what it could be doing to our body and brain. Zaki reflects on the
imperfections of cynicism and hope and presents a third option:
hopeful skepticism. Recommended reading: Read Hope for Cynics: The
Surprising Science of Human Goodness.  Follow Jamil Zaki’s
work at www.jamil-zaki.com and www.ssnl.stanford.edu E-mail us at
sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or
ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every
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Science, our daily newsletter.  Science Quickly is produced by
Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and
Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show
is edited by Fonda Mwangi with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and
Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
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