C Is for Cynicism: How It Can Impact Your Well-Being
Adopting a cynical stance can be hazardous to your health.
Updated March 21, 2025 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
Cynicism is a skepticism regarding people and organizations that claim to be selfless or altruistic . Cynics doubt that people act in any way other than their own self-interest. Are they wrong? Most folks do tend to look out for themselves (who else is going to do it?), and perhaps some people, like pessimists, attempt to ameliorate disappointment by assuming there is little we can expect from our fellow humans. Of course, this stance could also represent projection and rationalization . If a cynic believes everyone’s behavior is governed entirely by self-interest or is inherently selfish, then they can argue that their own selfish attitudes and behaviors are above reproach because “everybody does it.” The trouble with that argument is that I’m sure readers can think of at least one person in their lives who persistently considers others, so it's not that simple. Let’s turn to research to further define cynicism and look at its effects on health and well-being.
What studies tell us about cynicism. It has been conceptualized as a cognitive component of hostility, characterized by negative appraisals of the motives of other people and a corrosive skepticism about the sincerity or integrity of individuals and institutions, which leads to a kind of endemic pessimism . If that doesn’t sound too healthy, it’s because it isn’t. Severe cynicism can have negative impacts on mental health and well-being. It’s also recognized as a component of burnout in work settings.
Looking at the impact of cynicism on indices of health in first responders, Padmanabhanunni and Pretorius (2024) found that cynicism was significantly associated with anxiety , depression , and fatigue, and Dangel et al. (2018) found that greater levels of cynicism lead to rigidity, or cognitive inflexibility, leading to poorer capacity to adapt and to the sequelae of hopelessness, depression, and suicidality . It’s also associated with greater substance use, such as alcohol consumption, and elevated risk of death. So, “everything in moderation” probably applies to cynicism, too.
Too much of a good thing? While skepticism is not a bad thing in itself, cynics take it too far, priding themselves on seeing “the world as it is.” But we have to remember two things: 1) that most people aren’t as bad as characters portrayed in streaming TV series about psychopaths and serial killers , and 2) that we as a species do an awful job of accounting for our biases (e.g., confirmation bias ) and revising our beliefs and attitudes in line with evidence (but critical thinking dispositions can help with this). Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki, author of "Hope for Cynics", says, “We are much less objective than we think we are… [and] we perceive our species to be crueller, more callous and less caring than it really is” (Hunt, 2024).
Replace cynicism with hopeful skepticism. When we expect very little, or even the worst, it feels safer to just shut down, to retreat from the world and from strangers, and to take fewer risks. Jamil Zaki says, “It’s hard to take chances, to try and keep an open mind or stay connected.” But giving up on each other or dismissing the possibility of a better future can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy wherein “we actually make the bleakest, grimmest outcomes much more likely to pass,” says Zaki (Hunt, 2024). In this instance, people tend to perceive political positions as even more polarized than they actually are, when there is a lot more consensus across parties, for example. What’s an alternative? Zaki suggests hopeful skepticism, combining a somewhat scientific mindset (e.g., an openness to evidence) with another component, which is understanding that frequently, our assumptions are systematically wrong in one direction that leads to negative bias (Feltman & Mwangi, 2025).
Lastly, since cynical persons have no confidence in people in general, as well as journalists, scientists, researchers, doctors, etc., they don’t expect much from organizations and the world. This means they also don’t expect a whole lot from their elected representatives or from their government (“it’s an enemy”, “it’s corrupt”, etc.). But people who have lowered expectations for how government functions or about what it already does and could do for its citizens are not holding government to high standards. In a self-fulfilling prophecy, if we expect very little, we may end up with very little. To test this hypothesis, I’m conducting a study looking at the relationship between cynical and nihilistic stances, critical thinking dispositions, and trust and confidence in the system of governance we’ve had for 236 years. Because discovering the factors that might be chipping away at commitment to representative democracy seems relevant and important now.
Dangel, T. J., Webb, J. R., & Hirsch, J. K. (2017). Forgiveness and suicidal behavior: Cynicism and psychache as serial mediators. The Journal of Psychology, 152 (2), 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2017.1408555
Feltman, R. & Mwangi, F. (2025). Can hopeful skepticism replace harmful cynicism? Scientific American . Retrieved at https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/the-science-of-cynicism-and-the-transformative-psychological-power-of-hope/
Hunt, Elle. (2024). Is being a cynic bad for you? The Guardian . Retrieved at https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/oct/02/optimist-cynicism-faith
Padmanabhanunni, A., & Pretorius, T. B. (2024). Being cynical is bad for your wellbeing: A structural equation model of the relationship between cynicism and mental health in first responders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 21 , 1684. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121684
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Kyle D. Killian, Ph.D., LMFT is the author of Interracial Couples, Intimacy and Therapy: Crossing Racial Borders.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.