Are humans kind or cruel? Empathetic or indifferent? Good or bad?
These are all questions that Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology at Stanford University, investigates — not to answer himself, but to understand how society answers them.
On Monday, Zaki discussed how different perceptions of humanity can influence our lives at a University talk titled “Hope for Cynics: Discovering Common Ground and Building Cultures of Trust.”
Zaki’s talk marked the first event of Discovery through Dialogue, a newly launched community project promoting constructive dialogue on campus. The initiative is part of Brown’s larger Community Dialogue Project, which aims to foster deeper understanding, connections and community among students.
Zaki’s research is closely aligned with the CDP’s goals, as it investigates “skills that are essential for dialogue such as sharing stories, asking questions and seeking to understand others,” according to Koren Bakkegard, associate vice president for campus life and dean of students.
During his talk, Zaki discussed the negative effects of cynicism, noting that cynics tend to die younger, make more divisive choices and experience higher levels of chronic stress.
Zaki believes cynicism represents negativity bias, or “the human tendency to pay way more attention to threatening and harmful information compared to the good stuff,” he said at the event.
Cynicism is becoming more widespread each year, Zaki said, and is increasingly common among members of Generation Z.
To combat cynicism, Zaki advised adopting a mindset of “hopeful skepticism,” which entails gathering evidence before making assumptions about people, while understanding that our default is to assume the worst.
“Our thoughts are self-fulfilling prophecies,” Zaki told attendees. “What you believe about other people will shape how you treat them. And, how you act toward other people will shape how they react to you.”
Zaki concluded his talk by stressing the importance of hope in times of hardship.
“Hope is like wearing a pair of rose-colored glasses,” he said. “But the truth is that, because of negativity bias, most of us are wearing soot-colored glasses right now.”
“In my opinion, it is that hope in each other — not necessarily in our systems, but in each other as a species — that allows us to fight for a better world,” he added.
Following his talk, Zaki sat down for a question-and-answer session moderated by President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20. Before opening the floor to questions from the audience, the two discussed self-censoring, how digital technology fosters cynicism and balancing empathy with self-compassion.
Zaki hopes students left the event with “a sense of empowerment and possibility,” he wrote in an email to The Herald.
For some student attendees, Zaki’s hope became reality.
Sydney Stovall ’25 said her cynicism has worsened over the past few years due to the country’s political climate. She said she is aware her cynicism is “detrimental for my own well-being,” and attended the event as a way to challenge it.
Though she walked into the event apprehensive about whether it would actually be impactful, Stovall told The Herald that she actually “resonated with a lot of what (Zaki) said.”
Kai Capitumini ’28, a self-described cynic, said the talk was illuminating. It reminded him that “being a cynic isn’t something to feel bad about,” he said. “It’s something that you can actively work on, as opposed to being a negative characteristic of yourself.”
Roma Shah is a senior staff writer covering University Hall and higher education. She's a freshman from Morgan Hill, CA and studies Neuroscience. In her free time, she can be found doing puzzles, hiking or curled up with a book.
