Is Cynicism Healthy?

 Is Cynicism healthy?

Veer is a domain expert, technically sound and demonstrates good understanding and judgment. He is a technical leader and there is absolutely nothing in his domain for which he won’t have an answer. Veer is a prodigy with a very high intellect. 

Although Veer is bright, he comes across as a bit too condescending and intolerant of others’ mistakes and development areas. He is highly skeptical of people’s intentions. He belittles his team members for minor mistakes, ruthlessly cuts down colleagues when they present ideas that aren’t fully developed, makes everyone in the group feel insecure about their capabilities. Veer doesn’t feel the need to socially connect with anyone and is generally pessimistic about the capacity of human beings. Veer’s main speaking/texting tone is sarcastic. Every time he answers a question with sarcasm rather than patience or sincerity. He seems to be always convinced that people want something from him. The minute someone is nice to him, he immediately starts to wonder what they want out of him. However, Veer is an asset and his reporting managers have accepted the fact that high intelligence typically comes with a bit of Cynicism and it’s okay. Cynical genius is a common perception. 

So what is Cynicism? Cynicism, or the attitude of being cynical, appears as an inclination to be skeptical of others’ intentions and to believe that other people are completely motivated by self-interest. Cynicism is skepticism regarding people and organizations that claim to be selfless, altruistic, and good.

To know more about the concept of Cynical Genius, please tune in to episode #46 of Beyond Biases. Thank you for listening 🙂