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 *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Maui Nui Venison: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman *Huberman Lab Social & Website* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter *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* #HubermanLab #Mindset Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer