How to be less cynical (w/ Jamil Zaki)

I was looking for certainty when there was no certainty to be found. If Simone’s words resonate with you, then this episode is for YOU. Simone Stolzoff is a journalist who writes about the uncertainty of life. In his conversation with Chris, he observes why people are becoming le ...  Show more

It’s hard to not feel stress at the state of the world today, so how can you cope with stressors without letting them completely overwhelm you? Clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz spends most of her days helping clients navigate through their stress. She shares why she uses Dialect ...  Show more

It’s hard to stay hopeful these days. Stanford professor Jamil Zaki has been studying the incredible depth of human kindness for decades, but even he gives in to cynicism when he doubts our ability to be civil and cooperative.  That’s a shame - because shedding cynicism and grasp ...  Show more

There’s a certain glamor to cynicism. As a culture, we’ve turned cynicism into a symbol of hard-earned wisdom, assuming that those who are cynical are the only ones with the courage to tell us the truth and prepare us for an uncertain future. Psychologist Jamil Zaki challenges th ...  Show more

“It’s easy to be a naive idealist. It’s easy to be a cynical realist. It’s quite another thing to have no illusions and still hold the inner flame.”       Marie-Louise von Franz To be a philosophical pessimist is to be acutely aware of the tragic side of life and to believe that ...  Show more

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

---

This Stanford psychologist has evidence that being a cynic is bad for your health, and offers a non-corny alternative. 

Dr. ...