Attention: everybody wants some -- social media, tech companies and more. Watch these talks to better understand the ways these entities try and get on your radar.

The meta-crisis is so vast: climate change, exponential technology, addiction, polarization and more. How do we grasp it, let alone take steps to address it? One of the thinking tools we have at our disposal is science fiction. To the extent that we co-evolve with our stories, science fiction can prepare us for the impending future -- and empowe...

In this podcast from the Center for Humane Technology, co-hosts Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin confront catastrophic risk with existential hope. How is technology both a symptom and a driver of broader social, political, and economic forces? How do we reimagine humane technology that supports our shared well-being, sense-making, and ability to ta...

Think of penguins as ocean sentinels, says Dee Boersma -- they're on the frontlines of sea change. Sharing stories of penguin life and culture, she suggests that we start listening to what penguins are telling us.

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth dazzles in a performance of his effortlessly catchy hit "Attention" and an impeccable cover of Stevie Wonder's "You and I", live from the TED Countdown stage.

In 2003, the Palestinian village of Budrus mounted a 10-month-long nonviolent protest to stop a barrier being built across their olive groves. Did you hear about it? Didn't think so. Brazilian filmmaker Julia Bacha asks why we only pay attention to violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict -- and not to the nonviolent leaders who may one day bri...

Taken for Granted Tuesday, June 22, 2021 Adam Grant: Hey WorkLifers, it’s Adam Grant. Welcome back to Taken for Granted, my podcast with the TED Audio Collective. I’m an organizational psychologist. My job is to think again about how we work, lead, and live. Today, I’m talking to one of my favorite authors... John Green: I'm John Green and I ...

Sayonara 2010s! Enjoy this look back on which popular TED Talks caught our attention from 2010 to 2019.

ReThinking with Adam Grant John Green Wants You to Pay Attention to Your Attention June 22, 2021 Adam Grant: Hey WorkLifers, it’s Adam Grant. Welcome back to Taken for Granted, my podcast with the TED Audio Collective. I’m an organizational psychologist. My job is to think again about how we work, lead, and live. Today, I’m talking to one of my...

In an invitation to slow down and look at the world around you, graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton illustrates how drawing can spark deeply human, authentic connections. Ready to try? Grab a pencil and join MacNaughton for this delightful talk. "Drawing is looking, and looking is loving," she says.

In this charming talk, artist Aparna Rao shows us her latest work: cool, cartoony sculptures (with neat robotic tricks underneath them) that play with your perception -- and crave your attention. Take a few minutes to simply be delighted.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has gotten more than his fair share of attention from his acting career. But as social media exploded over the past decade, he got addicted like the rest of us -- trying to gain followers and likes only to be left feeling inadequate and less creative. In a refreshingly honest talk, he explores how the attention-driven model ...

Art that doesn’t just grab your attention, but sends a message, makes a statement and resonates.

What ideas captured people's attention and took off the quickest? Here are the talks that intrigued and inspired in 2021.

From the science behind stretching muscles and crooked teeth to the everyday mysteries of food expiration dates and airplane mode, these TED-Ed animations captured our attention in 2023.

Attention isn't just about what we focus on -- it's also about what our brains filter out. By investigating patterns in the brain as people try to focus, computational neuroscientist Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar hopes to build computer models that can be used to treat ADHD and help those who have lost the ability to communicate. Hear more about this...

If Chinese millenials were their own country, they would have the third largest population in the world, says Sebastian Guo. They are well-educated, super motivated and the largest emerging consumer demographic on the planet. So why is it that the business world is still obsessed with understanding American millenials? In his passionate and pers...

Animal behavior isn't complicated, but it is complex. Nicolas Perony studies how individual animals -- be they Scottish Terriers, bats or meerkats -- follow simple rules that, collectively, create larger patterns of behavior. And how this complexity born of simplicity can help them adapt to new circumstances, as they arise.

What ideas captured people's attention and took off the quickest in 2020? Here are the talks that intrigued and propelled us to the end of this world-shifting year.

Fixable Nai’a — “How do I get the attention of a distracted manager?” April 24, 2023 [00:00:00] Anne Morriss: Hey Frances. [00:00:03] Frances Frei: Hi Anne. [00:00:03] Anne Morriss: Uh, so I'm gonna start with one of our favorite segments, which are Anne and Frances's favorite icebreakers. This is one we use a lot. Hat tip to Emily Hanne...

How to Be a Better Human The art of paying attention (w/ Wendy MacNaughton and Laurel Braitman) June 10, 2024 [00:00:00] Chris Duffy: You are listening to How to Be a Better Human. I'm your host, Chris Duffy. What you're about to hear is an episode that we recorded in person at The TED 2024 conference in Vancouver. Over the entire history of th...

Amishi Jha studies how we pay attention: the process by which our brain decides what's important out of the constant stream of information it receives. Both external distractions (like stress) and internal ones (like mind-wandering) diminish our attention's power, Jha says -- but some simple techniques can boost it. "Pay attention to your attent...

In medicine, there's often a disconnect between news headlines and the scientific research they cover. While headlines are designed to catch attention, many studies produce meaningful results when they focus on a narrow, specific question. So how can you figure out what's a genuine health concern and what's less conclusive? Jeff Leek and Lucy Mc...

Are we turning the oceans into warm, noisy, uninhabitable bodies of acid? The short answer is, yes -- but there's still hope.

Bird's the word on this collection of TED Talks that spotlights our fascinating feathered friends.

These talks celebrate the special bond we form with our loyal, furry companions.

Representing the Scottish indie-folk scene, fiddler Hannah Fisher and guitarist Sorren Maclean perform two beautiful, transportive songs -- and call attention to the dire need for marine conservation.

Peace. It's humanity's eternal, elusive dream. These speakers offer inspired ideas, practical advice and real-world examples from around the globe of how it just might be attainable.

Does AI pose a threat to democracy? Law professor Lawrence Lessig dissects how this emerging technology could influence democratic institutions, warning that we’ve already passed a point (before superintelligence or AGI) that deserves a lot more attention.

Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he's drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.