Jamil Zaki shares tools from his book, ‘Hope for Cynics,’ to practice intellectual humility, build communal relationships, and revitalize our faith in each other. In his new book, Hope for Cynics, Jamil Zaki shares a succinct invitation that captures its essence: “People become who you expect them to be.” Zaki, a Stanford professor and director of the university’s Social Neuroscience Lab, has dedicated 15 years to studying empathy, kindness, and connection.