The Surprising Science of Cynicism (Plus: The Policy Paradox of the 2024 Election)

The Surprising Science of Cynicism (Plus: The Policy Paradox of the 2024 Election)

Derek shares his biggest frustrations about the 2024 election, like the lack of a policy debate and blind spots in news coverage and polling analysis. Then he welcomes Jamil Zaki to the show: a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. Zaki is the author of ‘Hope for Cynics,’ a new book that explores tension at the heart of human affairs. On one hand, social cooperation is the basis of human civilization. And yet cynicism—a baseline aversion to social cooperation and assumption that most people are greedy, selfish, and dishonest—is also core to the human experience. We are constantly violating the secret of our own success by assuming the worst in others, and Professor Zaki explains why. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Jamil Zaki Producer: Devon Baroldi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(359)

How to Be Happy and the Science of Cognitive Time Travel

How to Be Happy and the Science of Cognitive Time Travel

Laurie Santos is a superstar in the crowded field of happiness research. She is a cognitive scientist at Yale University whose course on the psychology of happiness was the most popular class in the s...

9 Aug 20241h 5min

Market Meltdown FAQ: Recession Fears, Global Stock Wipeout, and the Case for Calm

Market Meltdown FAQ: Recession Fears, Global Stock Wipeout, and the Case for Calm

In a special emergency-ish episode, Bloomberg's Conor Sen joins the show to discuss a buffet of economic and financial fears, including a disappointing jobs report, a meltdown in global stocks, the "c...

5 Aug 202426min

Why Are Robocalls So Hard to Stop? (Plus: Kamala and the Gender Wars.)

Why Are Robocalls So Hard to Stop? (Plus: Kamala and the Gender Wars.)

Derek offers his thoughts on Kamala Harris, the new 2024 reality, and gender polarization in the "boys vs. girls" election. Then we talk about the spam apocalypse. The average American receives one sp...

2 Aug 202452min

Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Progressives?

Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Progressives?

It is a general rule of thumb that richer societies are happier societies. This is true across countries, as GDP and life satisfaction are highly correlated. And it is true across time. Countries get ...

26 Jul 202455min

Harsh Truths About 2024 and the Future of the U.S. Economy

Harsh Truths About 2024 and the Future of the U.S. Economy

On today's episode: the state of American politics and the future of America's economy. Derek discusses a media myth in the aftermath of the failed Trump assassination attempt and reviews three basic ...

19 Jul 202452min

"The Weirdest Housing Market in Recent History"

"The Weirdest Housing Market in Recent History"

Skyrocketing rates, shrinking affordability: The U.S. housing market is a mess. It's also a bit of a mystery. Why are prices still sky-high, even though many measures of demand are weak? If the supply...

12 Jul 202455min

"People Feel Lied To": The White House, the Media, and the Joe Biden Blame Game

"People Feel Lied To": The White House, the Media, and the Joe Biden Blame Game

Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance has created a crisis for the Democratic Party and a set of interlocking debates about whether the White House—or the White House media—covered up his cognitiv...

5 Jul 202458min

Whatever Happened to Serial Killers?

Whatever Happened to Serial Killers?

In the first five decades of the 20th century, the number of serial killers in the U.S. remained at a very low level. But between the 1950s and 1960s, the number of serial killers tripled. Between the...

28 Jun 202444min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
stopp-verden
forklart
i-retten
popradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano
grasoner-den-nye-kalde-krigen
e24-podden