We're taught to try to live life without regret. But why? Using her own tattoo as an example, Kathryn Schulz makes a powerful and moving case for embracing our regrets.

Are you in control of your choices? Magic tricks might reveal otherwise, says scientist and illusionist Alice Pailhès. Watch closely as she performs magic tricks that unveil how your brain works, how you can be subtly influenced and what that means for free will and your day-to-day life. Did she guess your card right?

Does collecting more data lead to better decision-making? Competitive, data-savvy companies like Amazon, Google and Netflix have learned that data analysis alone doesn't always produce optimum results. In this talk, data scientist Sebastian Wernicke breaks down what goes wrong when we make decisions based purely on data -- and suggests a brainie...

It seems like we wait for a disastrous disease outbreak before we get serious about making a vaccine for it. Seth Berkley lays out the market realities and unbalanced risks behind why we aren't making vaccines for the world's biggest diseases.

If you ever struggle to make decisions, here's a talk for you. Cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths shows how we can apply the logic of computers to untangle tricky human problems, sharing three practical strategies for making better decisions -- on everything from finding a home to choosing which restaurant to go to tonight.

Nicole Wilson was 5 years old when she first realized that her father, a former professional football player and grade school teacher, gave bad advice. While she steered clear of his words of "wisdom" as a kid, as an adult she began to see an upside. In this fun, personal talk, she explains how a lifetime of bad advice taught her how to trust he...

Millennials are frequently stereotyped as entitled or lazy for moving from one job to the next. Millennial Daniela Zamudio believes quitting is sorely misjudged, and can be a sign of strength and ultimately a path to happiness. Over the last decade, she has discovered the secret to personal success and introduces the TED@Tommy audience to what s...

What if we could better understand the world's biggest challenges simply by looking at a map? Jack Dangermond, a pioneer in geographic information system (GIS) technology that powers the digital maps people around the world use every day, speaks with TED technology curator Simone Ross about how his team is building a geospatial nervous system: a...

Is inherited wealth a powerful tool or a destructive influence? David York thinks it can be both, depending on how you define and use it. In this thought-provoking talk, he argues that we need to stop envisioning intergenerational wealth transfers in purely financial terms and start thinking about them as opportunities to share values and connec...

What is it about unfairness? Whether it's not being invited to a friend's wedding or getting penalized for bad luck or an honest mistake, unfairness often makes us so upset that we can't think straight. And it's not just a personal issue -- it's also bad for business, says Marco Alverà. He explains how his company works to create a culture of fa...

Fairness matters ... to both people and primates. Sharing priceless footage of capuchin monkeys responding to perceived injustice, primatologist Sarah Brosnan explores why humans and monkeys evolved to care about equality -- and emphasizes the connection between a healthy, cooperative society and everyone getting their fair share.

How can we make AI that people actually want to interact with? Raphael Arar suggests we start by making art. He shares interactive projects that help AI explore complex ideas like nostalgia, intuition and conversation -- all working towards the goal of making our future technology just as much human as it is artificial.

Street artist JR made a wish in 2011: Join me in a worldwide photo project to show the world its true face. One year after making his TED Prize wish, he shows how giant posters of human faces, pasted in public, are connecting communities, making change, and turning the world inside out.

The 3 pounds of jelly in our skulls allow us to reflect on our own consciousness -- and to make counterintuitive, irrational decisions. These talks explore why.

Maps don't just tell you which street to turn left on. Maps convey information that shapes our lives, deepen our understanding of problems and our ability to create solutions, and whisk our imaginations to new lands. See what we mean, below.

Need to land on a decision that works for everyone? Let these talks prepare you to sit down at the negotiation table with ease and expertise.

Ever become angry and "see red"? Being defensive, as it turns out, is one of the greatest inhibitors to true collaboration. Jim Tamm shares years of experience in getting out of the red zone and cultivating a "green zone" attitude.

When you're doing something, what's your brain up to? Which neurons are firing where, and why? These fascinating talks will give you a hint.

It's not the end of the world, but as we know, it never hurts to be prepared.

Always wanted to do something more with your free time? Let these talks inspire you to take up anything from a classic hobby, to something a little less conventional.

What. A. Year. These 25 TED Talks helped us make better decisions, taught us some fascinating science, gave us some hope for humanity and showed us what it's like to climb 3,000 feet ... without a rope.

A delightful selection of TED Talks that may disarm you with their charm — and even make you laugh.

Playing Monopoly with his children one night, Adam Carroll noticed they were bending the rules. He wondered, "What if they're playing this way because the money isn't real?" In this talk, Carroll explains the concept of financial abstraction, and how our human perception of spending changes when the idea of money becomes more or less real. His c...

An awareness of risk is in our DNA, so why do we still make big gambles? Elise Payzan-LeNestour is fascinated with this behavior, particularly when it comes to financial risk. In this talk, learn how she's studying the way humans choose between safe bets and highly dangerous gambles with a computerized money game.

Why do some people struggle more than others to keep off the pounds? Social psychologist Emily Balcetis shows research that addresses one of the many factors: our vision. In an informative talk, she shows how when it comes to fitness, some people quite literally see the world differently -- and offers a surprisingly simple solution to overcome t...

Mycologist Paul Stamets lists 6 ways the mycelium fungus can help save the universe: cleaning polluted soil, making insecticides, treating smallpox and even flu viruses.

Playwright Eve Ensler explores our modern craving for security -- and why it makes us less secure. Listen for inspiring, heartbreaking stories of women making change.

An epidemic of bad, inefficient, overcrowded meetings is plaguing the world’s businesses — and making workers miserable. David Grady has some ideas on how to stop it.

Let's be honest, flying cars are still a ways into the future. Until then, learn about the extraordinary lengths we've come with cars that drive themselves.

Mice, bugs and hamsters are no longer the only way to study the brain. Functional MRI (fMRI) allows scientists to map brain activity in living, breathing, decision-making human beings. Read Montague gives an overview of how this technology is helping us understand the complicated ways in which we interact with each other.