Raising Good Humans Hope for Cynics: How to Cultivate Kindness w/ Dr. Jamil Zaki
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Sep 26, 2025 
Dr. Jamil Zaki, a psychology professor at Stanford, delves into the transformative power of empathy and kindness. He discusses how storytelling can enhance empathy, especially for those we don’t know personally. Jamil warns of empathy overload among younger generations and explores the idea of helping locally to combat burnout. He highlights the importance of self-compassion and suggests family practices like 'positive gossip' to uplift everyone. Distinguishing between hope and cynicism, he champions a hopeful mindset for a more compassionate future.
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Story Expands Our Circle Of Concern
- Human empathy pairs ancient togetherness instincts with imagination enabling concern for distant others via story.
- Turning statistics into narratives increases people's empathy and connection across distance.
Turn Global Concern Into Local Action
- When global problems overwhelm you, act locally to process empathy into meaningful action.
- Do things like beach cleanups to turn care into concrete help and reduce burnout.
Giving Helps The Giver Most When Genuine
- Helping others benefits the helper's mental and physical health when done from genuine connection.
- Acts of care reduce stress and loneliness more when they arise from purpose, not obligation.
