Are you underestimating how cynical your friends are?

New research finds that people often project their own levels of cynicism—the belief that people are only interested in themselves and aren’t sincere—onto their friends and consistently underestimate their friends’ cynicism.

The findings could have implications for maintaining friendships.

In the study, 173 pairs of friends reported on both their own cynicism and how cynical they thought their friend was. A statistical approach was then...