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

Andrew Huberman

Sep 2, 2024

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

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*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

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Break free from mistrust to seize opportunities

Trusting someone and being wrong is a learning experience, but mistrusting someone incorrectly is a 'wicked learning environment' where you never see the missed opportunity and can't update your negative belief.

#decision-making

#mind

Reduce cynicism to improve health and longevity

Large studies show cynics have greater cellular inflammation, more heart disease, and higher rates of all-cause mortality, leading to shorter lives than non-cynics.

#heart

#longevity

Challenge the myth: cynics perform worse on cognitive tests

We culturally perceive cynics as being smarter and wiser, but data from tens of thousands of people shows they actually perform worse on cognitive tests.

#cognition

Challenge cynicism to improve lie detection skills

Contrary to stereotypes, cynics are less effective than non-cynics at detecting liars because their blanket negative assumptions prevent them from sharply attending to evidence.

#critical-thinking

Rethink trust: 80% of strangers are trustworthy

In economic 'trust games,' people predict only about 55% of strangers will be trustworthy and return money, but the actual data shows that 80% do.

#relationships

Foster trust through collaborative environments

A study of two fishing villages found that a collaborative work environment fostered more trust over time, while a competitive, zero-sum environment made people less trusting.

#environment

#relationships

Witness moral beauty to experience awe in everyday life

The most common source of awe is not nature or space but what researchers call 'moral beauty,' which is witnessing everyday acts of kindness, compassion, and connection.

#emotion

Practice social savoring to retrain your brain for positivity

A practical tool to reduce cynicism is 'social savoring,' where you make a habit of noticing and sharing positive things about other people, which retrains your brain to see more good.

#positivity

#relationships

Challenge perceptions of political violence to bridge divides

We overestimate how much the opposing political side supports violence to advance their aims by 400%, creating a dangerously warped perception of reality.

#awareness

#relationships

Overcome cynicism to enhance stress relief through social support

Unlike most people, cynics do not experience a stress-buffering effect from social support, with their blood pressure spiking to the same high levels whether they are alone or with a friendly person.