Psychology Today | 24.09.2026 23:55
A cynic is someone who doubts the truth of many things generally believed to be true, while a gull is someone who accepts the truth of many things generally believed to be false. On the surface, these seem to be incompatible, but they share two tendencies: (a) a need to take a contrarian position, typically as part of a circle of other contrarians, and (b) a lack of openness to the possibility that one might be mistaken. This explains how someone could be cynical about some things while gullible about other things, as the person may choose to believe or disbelieve assertions based not on evidence but on how they feel about their source or content.
