Are humans naturally selfish, greedy, and dishonest? If your answer is yes, are you aware of how much this belief can hold you back?

Our guest today, is Dr. Jamil Zaki, a leading psychologist and empathy researcher who believes humans are fundamentally good. Not only is he doing the research to back that up, he’s using his insights to create a roadmap we can follow to a better future.

Jamil’s groundbreaking work at the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab explores how we understand emotions, conform to social influence, choose to do good things, and help each other.

His findings provide a powerfully hopeful message: We can be more compassionate and understand each other better.

It’s a timely insight because we’re seeing a rise in cynicism, especially among younger generations.

In fact, Jamil refers to this rising tide of cynicism as a disease because it’s literally making us sick. The recommended treatment? We can start by sharpening our empathy skills and building trusting relationships.

His new book, Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness lays out a practical plan for transforming cynicism into hopeful skepticism. Which can ultimately make the world a better place.

In this rich discussion between two psychologists, we unpack some practical and effective ways to build trust and explore how empathy can help us create lasting positive change.

Listening to this episode will equip you with tools like “social savoring” and “positive gossip” you can use to build a more compassionate future.

I can’t wait for you to listen in!

“If you feel cynicism, there’s nothing wrong with you…it’s a completely natural human experience. But I do think it hurts us, and I think it often hurts us in ways that we don’t see.”

Resources + Links

Get Dr. Mike’s Morning Mindset Routine!

Support our Sponsors

Follow on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter