If you agree with these three statements, you might be a pessimist. Here's how you can change your mindset.

Jamil Zaki, an associate professor of psychology at Stanford University, argues that being cynical is not harmless or safer than trusting others, as commonly believed. In his new book "Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness," he reveals the truth about the negative impact of cynicism on individuals and society.

According to Zaki, cynicism, which is the belief that people are generally selfish, greedy, and dishonest, can negatively impact your health.

Cynics are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, addiction, heart disease, diabetes, and an earlier death compared to non-cynics, according to Zaki.

Zaki emphasizes that being naïve is not the opposite of cynicism, and it's crucial to be cautious when trusting people.

"While there are advantages to being cautious in many circumstances, cynicism involves refusing to trust anyone. This is a broad generalization that can be difficult to comprehend," he remarks.

Zaki suggests that if you agree with the following three statements, you may be considered a cynic. Additionally, he provides advice on how to overcome cynicism and why it's crucial to do so.

If you agree with these 3 statements, you might be a cynic

1. No one cares much what happens to you.
2. Most people dislike helping others.
3. Most people are honest chiefly through fear of getting caught.

According to Zaki's book, if you disagree with all three statements, you are likely to be low in cynicism. If you agree with only one, you fall on the low-medium end, which is considered medium-rare for a steak.

"If you agree with two, you're on the high end. And if you agree with all three, you might be a cynic with a pessimistic outlook."

In the 1950s, Walter Cook and Donald Medley developed an assessment consisting of 50 statements for teachers to indicate agreement or disagreement, with the aim of identifying good educators. Three of these statements are presented.

"The more a teacher disagreed with the statements, the better their rapport with students," Zaki wrote. "The more statements anyone disagreed with, the more trusting they were of friends, strangers, and family."

3 practices to reverse cynicism and become more hopeful

If you want to give up cynicism, Zaki suggests trying a couple of things.

To cultivate a more optimistic outlook and trust in the goodness of people and positive outcomes.

• Zaki argues that being excessively negative does not equate to being correct, intelligent, secure, or ethical.
• To evaluate the validity of negative beliefs about individuals or groups, it is essential to gather evidence to support or refute these beliefs. When making assumptions or distrusting people based on initial impressions, it is crucial to question the basis for these feelings and investigate further.
• Give people a chance to show you who they are by taking leaps of faith and calculated risks to learn what they are like before assuming how they are.

Following these practices can help you develop a sense of hope, which, as Zaki points out, is valuable for our health and especially important during challenging times.

People with chronic illnesses who are hopeful tend to experience less depression, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who have hope tend to see their academic goals more clearly and pursue them more fiercely, and hope is often at the center of social movements, he explains.

"Complacency should not be mistaken for hope, which is a desire for something better that enhances our well-being, unites our relationships and communities, and ultimately drives social change."

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