So cynicism is on the rise. Is there any way that you can see that cynicism is standing in your way?

Is it stopping you from becoming the person you want to be?

I'm not asking you to put on rose-colored glasses. I just want you to realize that you're probably

wearing mud-colored glasses right now, and skepticism is just an attempt to take them off. There's an age-old question. Are humans fundamentally good or evil? Are we hardwired

towards greed and cynicism or towards compassion and goodness?

Welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery Podcast. I am your host Dr. Michael Jervais

by Trade and Training a high-performance psychologist.

Our guest today, Dr. Jamil Zaki, is a leading psychologist and empathy researcher who has dedicated his career to exploring this question.

Jamil is at the forefront of research at Stanford's Social Neuroscience Lab

where he's exploring how we understand emotions,

conform to social norms, and choose to do good.

In a world where cynicism seems to be on the rise,

Jamil offers a different perspective. Empathy as a remedy.

His latest book, Hope for Synics, the surprising science of human goodness,

lays out a practical roadmap to transform cynicism into hopeful skepticism, an approach that could make our world a bit better.

If you're looking to create lasting positive change in your life and those around you, this episode is for you.

So with that, let's dive right into this conversation with Dr. Jamil Zaki.

Jamil, it's a real pleasure to have you on finding mastery. I have loved your work on empathy and now cynicism and like this is awesome. Like your work at the neuroscience lab at Stanford is world class.

So it's a real treat to have you on today.

And just before we dive in, just let me check in, like how are you doing?

Well, first, thanks Mike, the feeling is completely mutual.

I love the show and it's just a pleasure to be here.

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