How to escape the cynicism trap | Jamil Zaki

TED Business

TED

Business, Modupe Akinola, Ted Business Podcast, Business Leadership Podcast, Ted Talks Business, Ted Modupe, Ted Talks

4 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2023

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Some days, it's hard to be optimistic. But cynicism -- the idea that people are inherently selfish, greedy and dishonest -- is making humanity lonelier and more divided, says psychologist Jamil Zaki. In this episode of TED Business, we are revisiting fascinating research on cooperation, empathy and trust, as Zaki makes the scientific case for optimism and shows us how to break out of the cynicism trap. Stay tuned after the talk to hear Jamil Zaki and our host Modupe Akinola delve into the high cost of cynicism.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I think it's fair to say that many people close to me think I'm a pretty optimistic person.
0:13.1	They tell me an issue they're dealing with and I'm like, oh, but here's the bright side.
0:17.5	When I have some of my own challenges, I'm like, this is terrible, but I know some good
0:22.3	will come out of it.
0:24.2	So much so that I've had to learn to embrace negative things and be okay with them.
0:29.3	I've had to learn to ask my friends, what do you need from me right now?
0:33.9	Do you want me to be a cheerleader?
0:35.8	Do you want me to sit with you in these trash talking feelings?
0:38.9	I can go there.
0:40.5	But my dominant tendency is to say, you got this.
0:43.4	This is going to be okay and sometimes people don't want to hear that.
0:48.4	Honestly, I try to see the best in people in situations.
0:52.1	A lot of this is linked to my faith.
0:54.5	Now, I did grow up in New York, though, and I'm no fool.
0:58.1	And I know shady when I see shady.
1:00.6	And I don't trust that everyone has your best interest at heart.
1:04.6	Like when you're walking down the street and somebody says to you, hey, beautiful, you
1:09.2	turn around only to have the mask you for five dollars.
1:12.5	Or when you get an email from someone you haven't heard from in a long time, I'm talking
1:16.5	about five to ten years.
1:18.2	You catch up, make up for lost time, and then a week later they ask you for something
1:22.4	professional or another type of hookup.
	...

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