What We're Reading Now

Choosing Hope in a Cynical World

20 May 2025

Janie read Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness by Jamil Zaki and was pleased to find some easy suggestions to help her curb her cynicism.

Tags: courage, janie read, mindfulness, the next big idea club

We’re almost halfway through 2025 and I’ve spent the past few months feeling much more cynical than usual. I am generally someone who doesn’t have to work that hard to find the silver lining in a situation, but recently, this hasn’t been the case. From talking with colleagues, family, and friends, I know I’m not alone. When I’m trying to figure something out, I often turn to books for inspiration and I was thrilled to find Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness by Jamil Zaki in one of our recent Next Big Idea Club shipments.

In his book, Hope for Cynics, psychologist Jamil Zaki argues that hope isn’t naïve—it’s a skill. And just like empathy or gratitude, it can be practiced, cultivated, and shared. We live in an age of burnout headlines, political division, and climate dread. Zaki doesn’t ask us to deny these realities. Instead, he invites us to imagine a better response. He argues that cynicism, while understandable, is not inevitable—and hope is not a weakness, but a practice.

Zaki references studies that demonstrate how people exposed to persistent negativity—online or in person—can become emotionally numb, mistrusting, and disengaged. Yet his message is not one of scolding, but of empowerment: hope, like empathy, is a skill we can build and spread.

Here are two of my favorite takeaways.

Hope is Contagious—So Choose Your Influences Wisely

Zaki shows that hope spreads through social networks. If you regularly engage with optimistic, resilient people, you're more likely to adopt that mindset yourself. If you regularly engage with pessimistic people who always see the glass half empty, it will be harder to maintain an optimistic attitude. Zaki recommends taking a close look at your digital and real-life circles. Associate yourself with and follow people who model hopeful thinking and engage in conversations that envision solutions—not just problems.

Reframe Your Narrative

Cynicism often comes from interpreting hardship as permanent and personal. Zaki encourages readers to reframe challenges as temporary and shared. To do this, next time you face a setback, write it down. Then try rewriting it with a growth mindset: What can you learn? Who else has overcome similar obstacles? This rewriting exercise can help you see things differently. The more you do this, the easier it will be to move away from the cynical narrative and see things with a more positive outlook.

I like the idea of rewriting challenges in this way and imagine that it could be really helpful. I had my first opportunity to try this past weekend when my younger son, Willie, was sick. Often when someone in the house gets sick, I immediately move to worrying that we’re all going to get sick. This time, instead of worrying that the whole house was going to get sick, I didn’t let myself think about what could happen and instead just tried to take good care of Willie. When my brain would wander to worry, I told myself, there’s no reason to worry about things that you can’t control, just focus on what you can do and take care of Willie. I’m pleased to report that this worked well. Willie is now on the mend and no one else in my house got sick. Reframing the challenge in my mind may have had no impact on the health of the rest of my family, but it definitely made it easier to take care of Willie and helped me feel better. Hope for Cynics reminded me that optimism isn't blind, it's brave. And in a fractured world, choosing hope might be the most radical act of all.

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