{"id":13319,"date":"2024-09-20T09:05:40","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T09:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=13319"},"modified":"2024-09-20T09:26:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T09:26:11","slug":"falling-into-the-cynicism-trap-is-bad-for-health-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=13319","title":{"rendered":"Falling Into the \u2018Cynicism Trap\u2019 Is Bad for Health, Experts Say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Expecting the worst from others is actually bad for our health, experts say.<\/p>\n

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There are days when the world brings out our sardonic side.<\/p>\n

But we should fight against what Jamil Zaki, the author of \u201cHope For Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness,\u201d calls the \u201ccynicism trap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cynicism \u2014 the belief that people are generally selfish, greedy and dishonest \u2014 can make us feel safer and smarter, he explained. But there is evidence that a cynical worldview may also have a negative effect on our health, making us more likely to suffer from depression<\/a>, heart disease<\/a> and burnout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And research suggests<\/a> that beliefs stemming from cynical thought are untrue, said Dr. Zaki, who is also the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. We can check our cynicism by balancing our perspectives, he said. The world isn\u2019t a perfect place, but it isn\u2019t all bad either. He encourages readers to become \u201chopeful skeptics\u201d who think critically about societal problems while recognizing how kind and generous others really are<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cynicism, he writes in his book, is a lack of faith in people, while skepticism is a lack of faith in our assumptions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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So the next time you have a cynical thought, he said, fact-check the beliefs behind it instead of relying on fears or vague feelings. Ask yourself: What information do I have to back up this claim? Am I making blanket statements?<\/p>\n

I asked experts for a few more ways to stave off cynicism.<\/p>\n