Anxiety could be the price that we have to pay for freedom, suggests psychologist Steven Pinker. When it comes to happiness, many people are underachievers. Americans are laggards among their first-world peers, and their happiness has stagnated in the era sometimes called the American Century. The Baby Boomers, despite growing up in peace and p...

On March 6, TED welcomed its latest class to the TED Residency program. As an in-house incubator for breakthrough ideas, Residents spend four months in the TED office with other exceptional people from all over the map. Each has a project that promises to make a significant contribution to the world, across several different fields. The new R...

Attention fellow word nerds: Daily haiku-ing fired up my creativity, sweetened my days, brought me closer to others, and more, says TED Ideas Editor Daryl Chen. This post is part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series, each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from someone in the TED community; browse through all the posts here. I...

About this event: El 23 de octubre el anfiteatro de Altos de Chavón se convirtió en el escenario de una noche de inspiración en la que 11 agentes de cambio de clase mundial compartirán sus historias, experiencias e ideas transformadoras que vale la pena conocer y difundir. TEDxLaRomana nos invita a embarcarnos en un viaje único de movilidad social, transformació...

About this event: Join us for the TEDxKingLincolnBronzevilleSalon! Coffee + Conversation + Community July 6th 10:30am-12:30pm The Lincoln Cafe 740 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43203 Featured guest: Kimberly Brazwell Watch her TEDx Talk! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MonimN6Aqgk&t=1s What is a TEDx Salon? Ever seen a TEDx video and wished you could ask the s...

About this event: }yes{. In a world where all things are possible, TEDxVail shapes a healthier Vail Valley with unbridled optimism and incremental changemaking. We create a happier world by saying }yes{. Beyond the limited (knowledge, resources, time) we Xplore the limitless (imagination, creativity, curiosity). This year's event will focus on that productive te...

Jessica Green wants people to understand the important role microbes play in every facet of our lives: climate change, building ecosystems, human health -- even roller derby. This University of Oregon professor (also known by her derby name “Thumper Biscuit”) is using non-traditional tools -- like art, animation, and film -– to help people v...

After hearing an idea that struck them at their core, these people were no longer satisfied to sit on the sidelines -- so they jumped in. Hearing an inspiring idea is like experiencing a great book or movie; it stays with you. For most people who watch a TED Talk, this occurs subtly, with the concept going into our minds where it serves as a ki...

Too many of us, too often, think of pain as something that needs to be eliminated, at any cost. But we -- doctors, patients, drug makers, and all of us -- can be part of a much-needed shift that  questions this attitude, says bioethicist Travis Rieder. Travis Rieder’s journey down the rabbit hole of opioid dependence began with his motorcycle a...

Humanity is defined by its immense body of knowledge. Most times it inches forward, shedding light onto the mysteries of the universe and easing life's endeavors in small increments. But in some special moments, knowledge and understanding leap forward, when one concentrated mind or one crucial discovery redirects the course of things and ch...

About this event: "The future depends on what you do today." - Mahatma Gandhi. How can we expect a different future without doing something today to change it? Our life will be the same 1 second later and 10 years later if we continue doing the same ordinary things. The inevitable solution to shaping a better future is to make a difference in every aspect of ou...

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely Ariely (TED Talk: How to change your behavior for the better), a professor of psychology and behavioral economics, reveals through many studies why we so often behave in a way that totally contradicts logic. While reading it, I had to smile many times because I cou...

40+ TED speakers recommend the books you need to read right now. OK, so it's not summer everywhere right now. But whatever the weather, it's always time to read a good book. So we compiled summer reading recommendations from TED speakers, and then organized them according to the various situations in which you might find yourself now or through...

Enthusiastic recommendations for uplifting reads, as suggested by TED speakers and TED-Ed educators. If you’re searching for some calm The Peace of Wild Things: And Other Poems by Wendell Berry This little book of poetry is my current morning dose of calm, and I use it like a meditation if I’m feeling stressed about the day ahead. The most f...

Have you found yourself staying up late, joylessly bingeing TV shows and doomscrolling through the news, or simply navigating your day uninspired and aimless? Chances are you're languishing, says organizational psychologist Adam Grant -- a psychic malaise that has become all too common after many months of the pandemic. He breaks down the key in...

What are your dreams? Better yet, what are your broken dreams? Dan Pallotta dreams of a time when we are as excited, curious and scientific about the development of our humanity as we are about the development of our technology. "What we fear most is that we will be denied the opportunity to fulfill our true potential," Pallotta says. "Imagine l...

By some estimates, work-related stress drains the US economy of nearly 300 billion dollars a year -- and it can hurt your productivity and personal health too, says wellness advocate Rob Cooke. He shares some strategies to help put your mental, physical and emotional well-being back at the forefront.

Martin Seligman talks about psychology -- as a field of study and as it works one-on-one with each patient and each practitioner. As it moves beyond a focus on disease, what can modern psychology help us to become?

Everyone gets anxious at times, but how can you tell when worrying and fear crosses the line and needs attention? Dr. Jen Gunter introduces a special part of the brain called the amygdala and shares the science behind your brain's threat-detection system, what causes it to malfunction and the most effective ways of treating an anxiety disorder. ...

If we hope to heal the racial tensions that threaten to tear the fabric of society apart, we're going to need the skills to openly express ourselves in racially stressful situations. Through racial literacy -- the ability to read, recast and resolve these situations -- psychologist Howard C. Stevenson helps children and parents reduce and manage...

Many of us will experience some kind of trauma during our lifetime. Sometimes, we escape with no long-term effects. But for millions of people, those experiences linger, causing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and negative thoughts that interfere with everyday life. Joelle Rabow Maletis details the science behind post-traumatic stress diso...

What if traffic flowed through our streets as smoothly and efficiently as blood flows through our veins? Transportation geek Wanis Kabbaj thinks we can find inspiration in the genius of our biology to design the transit systems of the future. In this forward-thinking talk, preview exciting concepts like modular, detachable buses, flying taxis an...

Kiran Bedi has a surprising resume. Before becoming Director General of the Indian Police Service, she managed one of the country's toughest prisons -- and used a new focus on prevention and education to turn it into a center of learning and meditation. She shares her thoughts on visionary leadership at TEDWomen.

"Anything that is worth pursuing is going to require us to suffer, just a little bit," says surf photographer Chris Burkard, as he explains his obsession with the coldest, choppiest, most isolated beaches on earth. With jawdropping photos and stories of places few humans have ever seen -- much less surfed -- he draws us into his "personal crusad...

In this deeply moving talk, Lucy Kalanithi reflects on life and purpose, sharing the story of her late husband, Paul, a young neurosurgeon who turned to writing after his terminal cancer diagnosis. "Engaging in the full range of experience -- living and dying, love and loss -- is what we get to do," Kalanithi says. "Being human doesn't happen de...

Living under the constant threat of violence has a lasting effect -- even after you escape from danger, says writer and refugee advocate Zarlasht Halaimzai. One of the millions of people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced by conflict, Halaimzai now helps others overcome the devastation of war. In this poignant, vital talk, she articulate...

How often does technology interrupt us from what we really mean to be doing? At work and at play, we spend a startling amount of time distracted by pings and pop-ups -- instead of helping us spend our time well, it often feels like our tech is stealing it away from us. Design thinker Tristan Harris offers thoughtful new ideas for technology that...

Around the world, Black girls are being pushed out of schools because of policies that target them for punishment, says author and social justice scholar Monique W. Morris. The result: countless girls are forced into unsafe futures with restricted opportunities. How can we put an end to this crisis? In an impassioned talk, Morris uncovers the ca...

What is altruism? Put simply, it's the wish that other people may be happy. And, says Matthieu Ricard, a happiness researcher and a Buddhist monk, altruism is also a great lens for making decisions, both for the short and long term, in work and in life.

Could psychedelics help us heal from trauma and mental illnesses? Researcher Rick Doblin has spent the past three decades investigating this question, and the results are promising. In this fascinating dive into the science of psychedelics, he explains how drugs like LSD, psilocybin and MDMA affect your brain -- and shows how, when paired with p...