How to Cultivate a Positive, Growth-Oriented Mindset | Dr. Jamil Zaki

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Jamil Zaki, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Stanford University, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, and the author of the new book Hope for Cynics. We discuss cynicism and its healthier, more adaptive alternative, healthy skepticism, and how embracing healthy skepticism can enhance both our emotional and physical health. We discuss the data on how cynicism affects us as individuals and in relationships, causing lower levels of happiness, poorer physical health, and reduced creativity, trust, and collaboration. He also explains novel data-supported tools that we can use to shift ourselves towards a more informed yet more positive worldview and how to adopt a mindset of “hopeful skepticism” — the ideal stance to navigate life. Dr. Zaki offers listeners a positive, hopeful view of humanity grounded in cutting-edge research from his laboratory and other top laboratories. He also offers science-supported protocols to navigate relationships in person and online better. Access the full show notes for this episode: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-jamil-zaki-how-to-cultivate-a-positive-growth-oriented-mindset *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Maui Nui Venison: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman *Huberman Lab Social & Website* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter *Dr. Jamil Zaki* Website: https://www.jamil-zaki.com Stanford academic profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/jamil-zaki Social Neuroscience Laboratory: https://www.ssnl.stanford.edu Hope for Cynics (book): https://www.jamil-zaki.com/hope-for-cynics Articles: https://www.jamil-zaki.com/media X (Personal): https://x.com/zakijam X (Lab): https://x.com/StanfordSNL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamil_zaki_psych LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamil-zaki-b0b4a9192 *Timestamps* 00:00:00 Dr. Jamil Zaki 00:02:12 Sponsors: Maui Nui, Joovv & Waking Up 00:06:59 Cynicism 00:12:38 Children, Attachment Styles & Cynicism 00:17:29 Cynicism vs. Skepticism, Complexity 00:23:30 Culture Variability & Trust 00:26:28 Sponsor: AG1 00:27:40 Negative Health Outcomes; Cynicism: Perception & Intelligence 00:35:59 Stereotypes, Threats 00:39:48 Cooperative Environments, Collaboration & Trust 00:44:05 Competition, Conflict, Judgement 00:48:46 Cynics, Awe, “Moral Beauty” 00:55:26 Sponsor: Function 00:57:13 Cynicism, Creativity & Workplace 01:04:19 Assessing Cynicism; Assumptions & Opportunities 01:11:11 Social Media & Cynicism, “Mean World Syndrome” 01:18:35 Negativity Bias, Gossip 01:24:03 Social Media & Cynicism, Polarization, “Hopeful Skepticism” 01:32:59 AI, Bias Correction 01:39:05 Tools: Mindset Skepticism; Reciprocity Mindset; Social Savoring 01:46:05 Tools: Leaps of Faith; Forecasting; Encounter Counting 01:51:33 Tool: Testing & Sharing Core Beliefs 01:58:09 Polarization vs. Perceived Polarization, Politics 02:06:06 Challenging Conversations, Questioning Perceptions 02:14:04 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #Mindset Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Andrew HubermanhostDr. Jamil Zakiguest

Sep 2, 20242h 16mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 2, 2024
Duration: 2h 16m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Jamil Zaki, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Stanford University, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, and the author of the new book Hope for Cynics. We discuss cynicism and its healthier, more adaptive alternative, healthy skepticism, and how embracing healthy skepticism can enhance both our emotional and physical health. We discuss the data on how cynicism affects us as individuals and in relationships, causing lower levels of happiness, poorer physical health, and reduced creativity, trust, and collaboration. He also explains novel data-supported tools that we can use to shift ourselves towards a more informed yet more positive worldview and how to adopt a mindset of “hopeful skepticism” — the ideal stance to navigate life. Dr. Zaki offers listeners a positive, hopeful view of humanity grounded in cutting-edge research from his laboratory and other top laboratories. He also offers science-supported protocols to navigate relationships in person and online better. Access the full show notes for this episode: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-jamil-zaki-how-to-cultivate-a-positive-growth-oriented-mindset *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Maui Nui Venison: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman *Huberman Lab Social & Website* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter *Dr. Jamil Zaki* Website: https://www.jamil-zaki.com Stanford academic profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/jamil-zaki Social Neuroscience Laboratory: https://www.ssnl.stanford.edu Hope for Cynics (book): https://www.jamil-zaki.com/hope-for-cynics Articles: https://www.jamil-zaki.com/media X (Personal): https://x.com/zakijam X (Lab): https://x.com/StanfordSNL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamil_zaki_psych LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamil-zaki-b0b4a9192 *Timestamps* 00:00:00 Dr. Jamil Zaki 00:02:12 Sponsors: Maui Nui, Joovv & Waking Up 00:06:59 Cynicism 00:12:38 Children, Attachment Styles & Cynicism 00:17:29 Cynicism vs. Skepticism, Complexity 00:23:30 Culture Variability & Trust 00:26:28 Sponsor: AG1 00:27:40 Negative Health Outcomes; Cynicism: Perception & Intelligence 00:35:59 Stereotypes, Threats 00:39:48 Cooperative Environments, Collaboration & Trust 00:44:05 Competition, Conflict, Judgement 00:48:46 Cynics, Awe, “Moral Beauty” 00:55:26 Sponsor: Function 00:57:13 Cynicism, Creativity & Workplace 01:04:19 Assessing Cynicism; Assumptions & Opportunities 01:11:11 Social Media & Cynicism, “Mean World Syndrome” 01:18:35 Negativity Bias, Gossip 01:24:03 Social Media & Cynicism, Polarization, “Hopeful Skepticism” 01:32:59 AI, Bias Correction 01:39:05 Tools: Mindset Skepticism; Reciprocity Mindset; Social Savoring 01:46:05 Tools: Leaps of Faith; Forecasting; Encounter Counting 01:51:33 Tool: Testing & Sharing Core Beliefs 01:58:09 Polarization vs. Perceived Polarization, Politics 02:06:06 Challenging Conversations, Questioning Perceptions 02:14:04 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #Mindset Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Dr. Jamil Zaki
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Dr. Jamil Zaki, How to Cultivate a Positive, Growth-Oriented Mindset | Dr. Jamil Zaki explores transforming Cynicism Into Hopeful Skepticism Through Science-Backed Social Tools Andrew Huberman interviews Stanford psychologist Dr. Jamil Zaki about cynicism, trust, empathy, and how our beliefs about people shape our health, relationships, and society. Zaki defines cynicism as a rigid theory that people are fundamentally selfish and dishonest, contrasting it with adaptive, evidence-seeking skepticism. Drawing on laboratory and real‑world data, he shows that cynicism is correlated with worse mental and physical health, weaker relationships, less creativity, and distorted views of others—yet is glamorized as intelligence and social savvy.

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