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1 - 30 of 1609 results

Playlist: Talks to watch during breakfast (6 talks)

Illuminating, funny and awe-inspiring talks to start off your day.
Curated by TED · 6 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/talks_to_watch_during_breakfas

Playlist: That's absurd! (8 talks)

These quirky talks remind us that life is funny, weird, sweet, absurd.
Curated by TED · 8 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/that_s_absurd

Dan Dennett: Cute, sexy, sweet, funny

Why are babies cute? Why is cake sweet? Philosopher Dan Dennett has answers you wouldn't expect, as he shares evolution's counterintuitive reasoning on cute, sweet and sexy things (plus a new theory from Matthew Hurley on why jokes are funny).
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_cute_sexy_sweet_funny

Ruby Wax: What's so funny about mental illness?

Diseases of the body garner sympathy, says comedian Ruby Wax -- except those of the brain. Why is that? With dazzling energy and humor, Wax, diagnosed a decade ago with clinical depression, urges us to put an end to the stigma of mental illness.
https://www.ted.com/talks/ruby_wax_what_s_so_funny_about_mental_illness

Jodie Houlston-Lau: How to make a sad story funny

It may seem counterintuitive, but comedy is often key to a serious story. As a writer, you need your audience to experience a range of emotions, no matter what your genre. Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture a compelling story needs. So how can you create this effect in your own stories? Jodie Houlston-L...
https://www.ted.com/talks/jodie_houlston_lau_how_to_make_a_sad_story_funny

Harrison Scott Key: The funny thing about the American Dream

What if all the motivational speakers are wrong? Writer and humorist Harrison Scott Key uses his own unremarkable journey from country boy to -- if you ask his mom -- literary star to illustrate the mildly outrageous truth about what it really takes to achieve the American Dream.
https://www.ted.com/talks/harrison_scott_key_the_funny_thing_about_the_american_dream

Rainn Wilson: Can climate change ever be funny? 17 comedians try to answer

There's nothing funny about climate change, but Rainn Wilson and 16 of his friends give it their best shot. (Featuring Mayim Bialik, Retta, Conan O'Brien, Randall Park, Maria Bamford, Chris Gethard, Tig Notaro, Al Madrigal, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Larry Wilmore, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll, Margaret Cho, Maz Jobrani, Omid Djalili and Aisha Tyler. Directed...
https://www.ted.com/talks/rainn_wilson_can_climate_change_ever_be_funny_17_comedians_try_to_answer

Chuck Nice: A funny look at the unintended consequences of technology

Technology should work for us, but what happens when it doesn't? Comedian Chuck Nice explores the unintended consequences of technological advancement and human interaction -- with hilarious results.
https://www.ted.com/talks/chuck_nice_a_funny_look_at_the_unintended_consequences_of_technology

Mona Chalabi | TED Speaker

Mona Chalabi tries to take the numb out of numbers. She's left with lots of "ers."
Data journalist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/mona_chalabi

Playlist: Overcoming depression (5 talks)

Depression is an illness that many suffer alone. These speakers bravely share their own stories -- and how they recovered.
Curated by TED · 5 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/4_ted_talks_on_overcoming_depr

Rainn Wilson | TED Speaker

Rainn Wilson is an actor ("The Office"), comedian and film producer, a climate advocate and a member of the advisory board of Arctic Basecamp.
Actor and activist
https://www.ted.com/speakers/rainn_wilson

Negin Farsad | TED Speaker

Stand-up comedian Negin Farsad counters Islamophobia in funny and clever ways.
Comedian, filmmaker
https://www.ted.com/speakers/negin_farsad

Yvonne van Amerongen: The "dementia village" that's redefining elder care

How would you prefer to spend the last years of your life: in a sterile, hospital-like institution or in a village with a supermarket, pub, theater and park within easy walking distance? The answer seems obvious now, but when Yvonne van Amerongen helped develop the groundbreaking Hogeweyk dementia care center in Amsterdam 25 years ago, it was se...
https://www.ted.com/talks/yvonne_van_amerongen_the_dementia_village_that_s_redefining_elder_care

James Watson: How we discovered DNA

Nobel laureate James Watson opens TED2005 with the frank and funny story of how he and his research partner, Francis Crick, discovered the structure of DNA.
https://www.ted.com/talks/james_watson_how_we_discovered_dna

Playlist: All kinds of minds (9 talks)

These powerful stories shatter preconceived notions about mental illness, and pose the provocative question: What can the world learn from different kinds of minds?
Curated by TED · 9 talks
https://www.ted.com/playlists/all_kinds_of_minds

Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great career

In this funny and blunt talk, Larry Smith pulls no punches when he calls out the absurd excuses people invent when they fail to pursue their passions.
https://www.ted.com/talks/larry_smith_why_you_will_fail_to_have_a_great_career

Terry Moore: Why is 'x' the unknown?

Why is 'x' the symbol for an unknown? In this short and funny talk, Terry Moore gives the surprising answer.
https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_why_is_x_the_unknown

Harald Eia: Where in the world is it easiest to get rich?

In this wryly funny talk, sociologist Harald Eia explains what some countries are doing differently and argues that capitalism and welfare states can, in fact, co-exist in harmony.
https://www.ted.com/talks/harald_eia_where_in_the_world_is_it_easiest_to_get_rich

Robert Sapolsky: The uniqueness of humans

At Stanford University, primatologist Robert Sapolsky offers a fascinating and funny look at human behaviors which the rest of the animal kingdom would consider bizarre.
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_sapolsky_the_uniqueness_of_humans

Liza Donnelly: Drawing on humor for change

New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly shares a portfolio of her wise and funny cartoons about modern life -- and talks about how humor can empower women to change the rules.
https://www.ted.com/talks/liza_donnelly_drawing_on_humor_for_change

George Whitesides: Toward a science of simplicity

Simplicity: We know it when we see it -- but what is it, exactly? In this funny, philosophical talk, George Whitesides chisels out an answer.
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_whitesides_toward_a_science_of_simplicity

Rufus Griscom + Alisa Volkman: Let's talk parenting taboos

Babble.com publishers Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman, in a lively tag-team, expose 4 facts that parents never, ever admit -- and why they should. Funny and honest, for parents and nonparents alike.
https://www.ted.com/talks/rufus_griscom_alisa_volkman_let_s_talk_parenting_taboos

Richard Dawkins: Militant atheism

Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position -- and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny, powerful talk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_dawkins_militant_atheism

Marlene Zuk: What we learn from insects' sex lives

In this enlightening, funny talk, Marlene Zuk shares just some of the ways that insects are truly astonishing -- and not least for the creative ways they have sex.
https://www.ted.com/talks/marlene_zuk_what_we_learn_from_insects_sex_lives

Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel

You use paper towels to dry your hands every day, but chances are, you're doing it wrong. In this enlightening and funny short talk, Joe Smith reveals the trick to perfect paper towel technique.
https://www.ted.com/talks/joe_smith_how_to_use_a_paper_towel

Felix Dennis: Odes to vice and consequences

Media big shot Felix Dennis roars his fiery, funny, sometimes racy original poetry, revisiting haunting memories and hard-won battle scars from a madcap -- yet not too repentant -- life. Best enjoyed with a glass of wine.
https://www.ted.com/talks/felix_dennis_odes_to_vice_and_consequences

Renny Gleeson: 404, the story of a page not found

Oops! Nobody wants to see the 404: Page Not Found. But as Renny Gleeson shows us, while he runs through a slideshow of creative and funny 404 pages, every error is really a chance to build a better relationship.
https://www.ted.com/talks/renny_gleeson_404_the_story_of_a_page_not_found

Jenna McCarthy: What you don't know about marriage

In this funny, casual talk from TEDx, writer Jenna McCarthy shares surprising research on how marriages (especially happy marriages) really work. One tip: Do not try to win an Oscar for best actress.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jenna_mccarthy_what_you_don_t_know_about_marriage

John Francis: Walk the earth ... my 17-year vow of silence

For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking). A funny, thoughtful talk with occasional banjo.
https://www.ted.com/talks/john_francis_walk_the_earth_my_17_year_vow_of_silence

Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.
https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work
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