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

A book by Thomas Hobbes, whose philosophy suggests a bleak view of human nature, aligning with cynical perspectives.

A book by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson that examines the relationship between economic inequality and public health outcomes, including trust.

A paper by Olga Stova documenting how people mistakenly perceive cynics as brighter and wiser.

Psychologists who developed an old scale in the 1950s to assess cynicism, often called the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale.

Researchers who studied people's forecasts of trustworthiness in the Trust Game, finding underestimated actual trustworthiness.

A researcher whose work with William Brady shows how negative and morally outraged tweets are broadcasted further, reinforcing negative behavior.

A journalist who coined the term 'conflict entrepreneurs' for people who intentionally stoke conflict, especially on social media.

A self-help author whose work challenges core beliefs by asking questions like 'Is that always true?' or 'What would it mean if that weren't true?' to deconstruct limiting ideas.

A Sesame Street character portrayed as cynical and grouchy, embodying certain negative phenotypes.

An economist who led a study in Southeastern Brazil comparing fishing villages to understand the impact of collaborative versus competitive environments on trust and trustworthiness.

A National Geographic photographer who created the 'Photo Ark,' an Instagram account featuring beautiful images of animals, often endangered, to capture their essence.

Host of the Huberman Lab podcast and Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

Guest on the podcast, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, and Director of the Social Neuroscience Laboratory at Stanford. His work focuses on empathy and cynicism.

An author quoted by Dr. Zaki, who said, 'We are who we pretend to be, so we need to be careful who we pretend to be,' illustrating self-fulfilling prophecies.

Authors of 'The Spirit Level' who conducted work on inequality across the world and its relation to public health outcomes and trust.

A philosopher quoted for his view from 'Leviathan' that human life is 'nasty, brutish, and short' without restrictive government, which ironically might describe cynics' lives.

A psychologist who has studied warmth and competence, finding that people often perceive these traits as inversely correlated.

A psychologist who studies cynicism and authored the paper 'The Cynical Genius Illusion,' documenting biases that make people think cynics are bright and wise.

A friend of Zaki's who studies awe and authored a book on the topic, highlighting moral beauty as the most common trigger for awe.

A researcher who studies group intelligence and collective intelligence, identifying factors like interpersonal sensitivity and willingness to share as predictors of group success.

A graduate student of Dr. Zaki's who collected data on democratic norms, finding overestimations of anti-democratic views and support for violence from the opposing political side.

An astronomer and science popularizer, known for his 'Pale Blue Dot' concept, an image of Earth as a tiny dot in space, evoking awe.

Naturalist and broadcaster, host of the Planet Earth series, known for presenting a balanced view of nature.

A colleague of Dr. Zaki's in sociology at Stanford, who researches political perceptions and polarization, finding significant overestimations of the opposition's extremism.

Researchers known for their classic work on negativity bias, showing that people prefer to avoid negative outcomes over pursuing positive ones.

A researcher who documented that a vast majority of tweets come from a small percentage of active users, often representing extreme views, not the average population.

A researcher at Harvard who studies political perceptions, focusing on what people think the average member of an opposing political side is like.

A researcher at Northwestern University who studies social media and reinforcement learning, showing how moral outrage on platforms like Twitter is amplified.

A monk and author mentioned as a wonderful writer who advocates for treating life as an experiment, interrupting defaults and looking around more carefully.

A late friend of Dr. Zaki's who collected data on Republican and Democrat views on immigration, showing actual positions are less polarized than perceived.

Researchers who studied 'miswanting' or 'undersociality,' finding that people often underestimate the positive experiences of social interactions like talking to strangers.

An emotion of experiencing something vast and feeling small yet part of that vastness. Often triggered by moral beauty, not just grand landscapes.

A psychological test used to assess attachment styles in one-year-olds by observing their behavior with a caregiver, a stranger, and during separation and reunion.

A term by Phil Tetlock describing the ability to hold different versions of the world and arguments in mind, picking beliefs based on evidence, which cynicism impedes.

A phenomenon where media consumption, particularly news, leads people to believe the world is more dangerous and violent than it actually is.

A famous image and concept by Carl Sagan, depicting Earth as a tiny speck in the vast cosmos, used as an example of an awe-inspiring experience.

A therapeutic approach used to challenge cynical inferences by questioning the evidence behind negative hypotheses about others.

Discussed as a potential tool to counteract cynicism by processing internet data and correcting for negativity bias to provide a more accurate and hopeful perspective.

An economic game used to behaviorally measure trust, involving an investor sending money to a trustee, which is then tripled, and the trustee deciding how much to return.

A statistical framework where beliefs are updated with new information, contrasted with wicked learning environments where priors prevent information gathering.

A questionnaire developed in the 1950s by Walter Cook and Donald Medley to assess general theories people hold about others' honesty and trustworthiness.

A laboratory at Stanford University directed by Dr. Jamil Zaki, focused on studying empathy and cynicism.

A scientific and educational organization, mentioned in the context of Joel Sartore's 'Photo Ark' project.

A sponsor that makes medical-grade red light therapy devices, used for muscle recovery, skin health, and mitochondrial function.

A social media platform (formerly known as Twitter) used in research examples to demonstrate how outrage and negative tweets are amplified by algorithms, contributing to cynicism.

A sponsor of the podcast offering comprehensive lab testing (blood, urine, saliva) for over 100 biomarkers, providing insights and recommendations.

A nature documentary series hosted by David Attenborough, presented as an example of media that shows a balanced view of nature, including both beauty and harshness.

A Sesame Street character used as an example of strong dopaminergic drive, pursuing desires directly.

An Instagram account that showcases the harsh realities of nature, including predatory behavior, used as a contrast to accounts promoting only positive views of nature.

An Instagram account and project by Joel Sartore to photograph all the world's animal species, showcasing moral beauty and the essence of animals.

A sponsor of the podcast offering nutrient-dense red meat, specifically venison steaks, ground venison, bone broth, and jerky.

A meditation app offering guided programs, mindful trainings, and Yoga Nidra sessions, used to improve focus, stress management, and mood.

A Sesame Street character used as an example of loving and affectionate behavior.

A social media platform mentioned as an attempt to create a more positive network, though its proliferation compared to others is questioned.