Matt Abrahams interviews Jamil Zaki, a Stanford psychology professor, about his book, "Hope for Cynics," and the science of human goodness, focusing on trust and cynicism. Zaki defines trust as vulnerability based on the expectation of positive behavior from others and introduces the concept of "trusting loudly," which involves explicitly expressing trust to foster stronger relationships. The discussion explores cynicism as a belief that people are inherently selfish, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of distrust, and contrasts it with hopeful skepticism, which involves evaluating evidence rather than making assumptions. Zaki suggests strategies to combat cynicism, including fact-checking cynical beliefs, collecting evidence to challenge negative assumptions, and practicing positive gossip to promote kindness and compassion. He also highlights the power of self-fulfilling prophecies, explaining how treating people positively can bring out their best qualities and emphasizes the importance of humility, shared stories, and identifying common ground in disagreements.
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