Hope For Cynics
The Surprising Science of Human Goodness
Jamil Zaki . 2024 . 149 ZAK . Beaverton Library
Dr. Zaki is professor of psychology at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab
This book is difficult to read in brief snatches. The author full-names many people once, then mentions them by first name many pages later. Not all are indexed ... who is "Megan?"
Index by FIRST NAME FIRST MENTION
Sherlock |
Holmes |
015 |
Stephanie |
Bruneau |
008 |
Sue |
hypothetical |
030 |
Trabien Shorters |
black poor gifted |
072 |
Thomas |
Megan's boyfriend |
035 |
Thomas |
Hobbs |
006 |
Tina Rosenberg |
NYT columnist |
076 |
Upworthy |
|
069 |
Vanessa Bohns |
influence neglect |
081 |
Walter |
Cook |
018 |
William |
of Orange |
024 |
Zeus |
|
007 |
Al |
hypothetical father |
073 |
Amur |
hypothetical father |
073 |
Andy |
hypothetical |
029 |
anxious young adults, isolation, cynicism |
103 |
|
asset-framing |
|
073 |
Atsushi Watanabe |
|
097 |
Atticus |
Bruneau son |
040 |
Ben |
hypothetical |
029 |
Bernie |
Sanders |
035 |
Bill |
Bruneau father |
023 |
Bill |
Gates |
033 |
Boris Johnson |
UK Prime Minister |
049 |
Boston Firefighters |
accused of faking injuries |
079 |
CBT |
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy |
043 |
Charles Schultze |
economist |
051 |
Chris Inglesias |
Unity Council CEO |
064 |
Christina Maslach |
burnout |
103 |
Chung |
Sye-kyun |
023 |
Clara |
Bruneau daughter |
040 |
Clinica de la Raza |
|
064 |
Colleen |
hypothetical |
030 |
conversation scavenger hunt |
106 |
|
Cranbrook School |
Michigan private school |
072 |
David Byrne |
Talking Heads |
076 |
David Bornstein |
|
071 |
Diogenes |
of Sinope |
016 |
Donald |
Medley |
018 |
Eileen |
Megan's mother |
034 |
Emile |
Bruneau |
001 |
ER Murrow H.S. |
Brooklyn |
052 |
FaceTime |
dodopaddle app |
059 |
Fixes |
NYT column |
076 |
Frank Jude |
Milwaukee beating 2004 |
050 |
Fred Bryant |
psychologist |
066 |
Freedom House |
nonpartisan org. |
049 |
Frederick |
Niezche |
008 |
Fruitvale |
Oakland ICE targer |
050 |
FTX |
crypto$ 2019-2022 |
050 |
Geoff |
Cohen |
027 |
George |
Bernard Shaw |
030 |
George |
Carlin comedian |
038 |
George |
Floyd police murder |
035 |
Grameen Bank |
|
075 |
Guy Smiley |
Zaki nickname |
043 |
Harold |
Megan's father |
034 |
Hephaestus |
|
007 |
hikikomori |
Japanese total isolation |
097 |
humans can't NOT change |
087 |
|
dodopaddle app |
059 |
|
Janet Lewis |
Stanford women's rugby |
090 |
Jean-Paul Sartre |
|
073 |
Jesus |
|
017 |
Karen |
Douglas psychologist |
035 |
Lake village |
Leibbrant study |
046 |
Landon |
Zaki wife |
043 |
Leibbrant |
Andreas Leibbrant PhD |
046 |
Libby Schaff |
Oakland mayor |
050 |
Linda |
Bruneau schizo mom |
039 |
Logan Lane |
student |
052 |
Luddite Club |
Logan Lane |
060 |
Mano Japan |
high trust neigborhood |
040 |
Mary |
Ainsworth psychologist |
036 |
Megan |
Q |
033 |
Mikura Japan |
low trust neigborhood |
040 |
Mycroft |
Holmes |
015 |
Mohammed Yunus |
|
075 |
Naikan |
a form of self reflection |
105 |
negativity bias |
|
102 |
no close friends |
15% of US men |
098 |
Ocean village |
Leibbrant study |
046 |
Pandora |
|
007 |
Penninsula |
private school |
055 |
Piedmont |
rich community |
050 |
Pontiac Michigan |
|
072 |
Ralph Waldo |
Emerson |
026 |
Robin Dreek |
2002 FBI spycatcher |
083 |
Sherlock |
Holmes |
015 |
Stephanie |
Bruneau |
008 |
Sue |
hypothetical |
030 |
Trabien Shorters |
black poor gifted |
072 |
Thomas |
Megan's boyfriend |
035 |
Thomas |
Hobbs |
006 |
Tina Rosenberg |
NYT columnist |
076 |
Upworthy |
|
069 |
Vanessa Bohns |
influence neglect |
081 |
Walter |
Cook |
018 |
William |
of Orange |
024 |
Zeus |
|
007 |
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/ | Reasons to be Cheerful ]] |
076 |
|
Robert Axelrod |
UMinn poly sci |
084 |
Robin Dreek |
2002 FBI spycatcher |
083 |
Samantha Moore-Berg |
Emile's lab colleague |
058 |
Seamless |
food delivery app |
104 |
secret introvert |
time alone when lecturing |
101 |
SJN |
network |
077 |
social shark attacks |
106 |
|
solutions |
journalism |
076 |
Stasi |
East German police |
049 |
Stanford actually friendly, ugly self-image |
102 |
|
talk to strangers |
fun surprise, new friends |
100 |
TeleHelp Ukraine |
|
076 |
Theranos |
healthtech 2003-2016 |
050 |
Tina Rosenberg |
NYT columnist |
076 |
Tinder |
dodopaddle app |
053 |
Tit for Tat |
program, generous TFT better |
085 |
Trabien Shorters |
black poor gifted |
072 |
trust powerful |
builds connections |
086 |
dodopaddle app |
060 |
Unity Council |
|
064 |
Upworthy |
|
069 |
Vivek Murthy |
US Surgeon General |
099 |
Voting Rights Florida ex-felons |
078 |
|
WeWork |
coworking 2010-2023 |
050 |
World Happiness |
|
066 |
WORTH |
Women Overcoming Recidivism |
076 |
Zumba classes |
|
064 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
203 |
- Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the couch and clutch, feeling lucky.
- It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.
- -- Rebecca Solnit
p001 Introduction
p001 Emile Bruneau died 2020 age 47
- p001 Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab at U. Penn. Annenberg School for Communication (cannot find)
- p003 Emile's mother schizophrenic, but "She never let any of the darkness touch me"
- p004 Cynicism ... is a seductive worldview, dark and simple. Too simple, really to explain much of anything.
p004 General Social Survey began in 1972
- p005 In 1972, 50% agreed that "most people can be trusted", only 33% agreed in 2018.
- p005 52% trusted president in 1970s, 23% in 2022. Newspapers 39% to 18%. Public schools 58% to 28%
- p007 Media's product is cynicism.
- p008 Nietzche called hope "the most evil of evils because it prolongs man's torment"
- p009 Cynicism is a lack of faith in people, skepticism is a lack of faith in our assumptions.
Section I: UNLEARNING CYNICISM
p015 Chapter 1. Signs and Symptoms
- p015 Mycroft Holmes more talented, but "no ambition and no energy" and a disdain for humanity
p016 Mycroft Holmes co-founded Diogenes Club
- p018 "big-C Cynicism" opposite of misanthropy and "small-c cynicism"
p017 the real Diogenes helped people and would despise the Diogenes Cl]][[ub.
- p017 Three statement test:
- (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.
p018 Cook and Medley: Worse teachers agreed with these statements. They are a "cynicism detector".
- p020 adolescent cynics more likely depressed, drink and divorce in and after college
- cynics earn less, more heart disease, die sooner
- p020 Finland 58% trust, France 18% trust
- p021 High trust nations grow GDP faster
- p025 Dining out, bring Tupperware rather than single use plastic from restaurants (?)
p025 autarkeia self-sufficiency
p026 Self-Reliance 1841 essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson
p026 Stanford's Geoff Cohen
- p027 people who affirm their values become more open to contradictory infomation
- p028 Zaki was jealous of others, birth of daughters overwhelmed worries about social status
p029 Chapter 2. The Surprising Wisdom of Hope
- p030 valorize: enhance value
- p030 cynics wise less often, poor at identifying liars
p031 real wisdom when people know what they don't know. Think more like a skeptical scientist, less like a accusing lawyer
- p032 cynics prone to conspiracy theories, skeptics less prone
- p032 Author is suspicious skeptic - low faith in people, high faith in data
p065 Chapter 4. Hell Isn't Other People
p079 Chapter 5. Escaping the Cynicism Trap
p091 Loud trust
Section II: REDISCOVERING ONE ANOTHER
p097 Chapter 6. The (Social) Water is Just Fine
p130 Chapter 8. The Fault in Our Fault Lines
Section III: THE FUTURE OF HOPE
p200 Epilogue
p205 Acknowledgements
p209 Appendix A: A Practical Guide to Hopeful Skepticism
p213 Appendix B: Evaluating the Evidence
p217 Chapter Claim Ratings
p225 Notes
p263 Index
- p263 Emile Bruneau