Toward a social psychology of cynicism

Abstract

Cynicism is the attitude that people are primarily motivated by self-interest. It tracks numerous negative outcomes, and yet many people are cynical. To understand this 'cynicism paradox', we review and call for more social psychological work on how cynicism spreads, with implications for how we might slow it down.

Keywords: cynicism; false meta-perceptions; pluralistic ignorance; self-fulfilling prophecy; social cognition; trust.