Lt. Brian Ellis, retired, has seen cynicism up close—not just in his peers, but in himself. He recalls a sticker on a locker that read, “If you can think it, I can hate it.” It was meant as a joke, but it captured something deeply real about public safety culture: cynicism is everywhere.
At first, cynicism can feel like armor. In a job where you see people at their worst, assuming the worst can seem like self-protection. But over time, this mindset seeps into your brain, your relationships, your leadership, and even your health.
What Cynicism Does to Your Brain and Body
Research makes it clear: cynicism is not harmless. It rewires you.
Decreases empathy – Cynics show less emotional empathy and reduced brain activation in empathy-related regions (Grynberg et al., 2012).
Increases stress – Cynicism is positively associated with perceived stress and negative affect (Schilpzand et al., 2016).
Impairs decision-making – Cynicism limits your ability to integrate information and weigh pros and cons effectively (Tucker et al., 2013).
Lowers well-being – Linked to higher depression, anxiety, burnout, and lower life satisfaction (Kesebir & Kesebir, 2017).
The cost isn’t just personal. Cynicism undermines team trust, corrodes agency culture, and erodes the public’s confidence in you.
How It Starts and Why It Grows
In public safety, cynicism is a predictable occupational hazard. Spend decades facing conflict, deception, and crisis, and your brain adapts. You learn to spot danger quickly, but without intentional counterbalance, you also start filtering every person and situation through suspicion.
Lt. Ellis puts it plainly: with 25 years in the job at 40 hours a week, you have about 53,000 hours of practice being cynical. Without actively working against it, cynicism will win.
The Impact Beyond the Badge
Unchecked cynicism doesn’t stay at work. It follows you home. It colors how you see your spouse, your kids, your friends. It convinces you that people can’t change, that nothing good lasts, that hope is naïve. And it can make you miserable without you even realizing it.
On the agency level, it fuels gossip, divides teams, and kills collaboration. In community interactions, even a hint of cynicism can damage trust, cooperation, and the willingness of the public to work with you.
The Turning Point
The good news? Cynicism is not permanent. It’s a habit, not a destiny. And habits can be rewired. Over the course of this series, Lt. Ellis offers tools to reclaim your perspective and reconnect to empathy, trust, and resilience.
Key strategies include:
Self-awareness through mindfulness – Spend 5 minutes a day simply observing your thoughts without judgment. Notice when you default to assuming the worst.
Gratitude journaling – At the end of your shift, write down 5 things or people you’re grateful for. This actively shifts your brain’s focus toward the positive.
Compassion practice – When interacting with someone difficult, silently remind yourself: “They, like me, want to be happy and are doing their best.”
Lovingkindness reflection – Offer silent thoughts like: “May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you find the love you want and need.” These small internal acts strengthen the brain’s compassion circuits.
These are not fluffy ideas—they’re evidence-based practices that counteract the neurological and emotional effects of cynicism.
The Choice in Front of You
This is not about pretending bad things don’t happen or ignoring hard truths. It’s about refusing to let a cynical mindset become the filter through which you see the entire world.
Cynicism may be a natural response to the job, but it’s not inevitable. You can choose to see clearly, connect deeply, and lead with integrity—if you’re willing to train your mind as intentionally as you train your body or your tactical skills.
Call to Action
For the next 7 days, commit to these three steps—no shortcuts:
2 minutes of mindful awareness every morning. Sit quietly, notice your breathing, and catch your thoughts without judgment.
End each shift with a gratitude list of 5 specific things or people from your day.
Use compassion language silently at least once a day toward someone you find difficult.
Track your experience. At the end of the week, ask yourself honestly: Do I feel lighter? More patient? More connected?
Change won’t happen by accident. But if you do this—really do it—you’ll be taking back control from the corrosive effects of cynicism and moving toward a mind, career, and life built on clarity, resilience, and connection.