Cynic about other people's motives is all the rage these days. People who are universally cynical are tiresome and dull. No one wants a friend who can't really trust you because they think everyone is out for themselves.
New research that examines the perceived and actual competence of people who are more or less cynical is an excellent way to tackle this epidemic of cynicism.
It finds that people might be cynical because they make other people think they are clever. The common story is that we equate cynicism with wisdom or hard-won experience.
A survey of 200,000 people across 30 countries found that our faith in cynics is not justified. They don't do as well on measures of cognitive ability or academic competence. The Cynical Genius illusion is something we need to break.
It is important for the cynics that we do. Being cynical is bad for your health, reduces your self-esteem and leads to lower earnings according to other studies. It's just bad all the time. Being successful in any meaningful part of our lives requires cooperation with other people. It shouldn't be rocket science that if you don't trust anyone, you're missing a major building block for a good life. Let's stop the cynicism.
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