I think that we are extraordinarily sub-optimized in our social lives. We are facing right now an epidemic of loneliness, depression, even self-harm has increased. I mean, there is a lot of really troubling trends in our well-being, and I think a lot of those have to do with a great sense of disconnection that we have, a sense of isolation and atomization.

That is simply not an optimized way to live because we are fundamentally social creatures. In essence, cynicism is at this point a barricade. It's blocking us from the types of connections that most of us want, and even if we don't know we want them, we need them to optimize our own lives and our culture.

I think of optimization not just at the personal level. You talked about it at the family level, which I think is so important, but it's also a cultural thing, right? The ability to engage in collective action, to function as a democracy, to make decisions and trust is the foundation of that as well.