Is “knowing” stopping you from:

• Viewing an issue with fresh lens
• Giving someone the benefit of the doubt
• Being open to learning new things
• Being adaptable to changes
• Paying attention to your existing situation
• Being open to new perspectives

It is natural to be cynical with less than positive experiences.

It might be easier to be a detached observer and an armchair commentator.

Adopting a cynical lens might hold you back from trying new experiences and isn’t a defense against naivety.

You can keep your questioning mind whilst still being open.

Rejecting cynicism doesn’t mean being gullible or naïve. A powerful alternative is skepticism: a scientific mindset where we focus on evidence to decide who we can believe in. If cynicism is a lack of faith in people, skepticism is a lack of faith in our assumptions. It allows us to neither blindly trust or blindly mistrust others, and to learn about our social world in a more agile way.

– Jamil Zaki, PhD., is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab

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