What do you do when your firmly held beliefs turn out not to be true? When Casey Gerald's religion failed him, he searched for something new to believe in -- in business, in government, in philanthropy -- but found only false saviors. In this moving talk, Gerald urges us all to question our beliefs and embrace uncertainty.

When Lesley Hazleton was writing a biography of Muhammad, she was struck by something: The night he received the revelation of the Koran, according to early accounts, his first reaction was doubt, awe, even fear. And yet this experience became the bedrock of his belief. Hazleton calls for a new appreciation of doubt and questioning as the founda...

Say the word "doubt" aloud. What is that "b" doing there? Does it have any purpose? Gina Cooke explains the long and winding history of "doubt" and why the spelling though it seems random is a wink to its storied past. [Directed by David Bernal, narrated by Gina Cooke].

No need to panic: Take a deep breath, and power through your moments of doubt and burnout with the help of these talks.

Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith almost died after a particularly rough tackle snapped his leg in 2018 -- yet he was back on the field just two years later. In this inspiring talk, he shares his hard-won insights on overcoming fear, self-doubt and anxiety that could help anyone endure life's challenges. (This talk contains graphic images.)

Malaria is a disease as old as humankind, yet we may be closer than ever to eliminating it, says medical entomologist Abdoulaye Diabaté. He explains the potential of "gene drive" technology — which aims to disrupt mosquito reproduction as a means of halting malaria transmission in Africa — and shows how his team is partnering with local communit...

What shapes happiness -- the experiences we have, or the stories we tell ourselves about them afterwards? When and how does our intuition reliably fail? And why is overconfidence the fatal flaw we should all watch out for? In this fascinating, far-ranging conversation, head of TED Chris Anderson digs into the questions that really matter with Da...

The voices of these speakers are sure to gently pull you in with their warm delivery.

What challenges arise for women climbing the ranks in leadership, and what can they do to overcome them? TED's current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers sits down with Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne S. Bass, the first woman in history to serve as the highest-ranking non-commissioned member of a US military service, for a look inside the A...

Diébédo Francis Kéré knew exactly what he wanted to do when he got his degree in architecture... He wanted to go home to Gando in Burkina Faso, to help his neighbors reap the benefit of his education. In this charming talk, Kéré shows off some of the beautiful structures he's helped to build in his small village in the years since then, includin...

Step into artist Cornelia Geppert's visually stunning video game "Sea of Solitude," which explores how battling the "monsters" of loneliness and self-doubt can help us better grapple with the complexity and struggles of mental health.

A tour of thoughtful spaces built to bring people together and strengthen communities, rather than wall them off from one another.

The pressures of having to make an amazing film sent this deadpan, deep-voiced, award-winning filmmaker into a crippling spiral of self-doubt and comic indecision. (Credits: Music by Stillhead; Executive Producer, TED2018 Film Program: Sinéad McDevitt; Director of Production and Video Operations, TED: Mina Sabet)

Radio host Julie Burstein talks with creative people for a living -- and shares four lessons about how to create in the face of challenge, self-doubt and loss. Hear insights from filmmaker Mira Nair, writer Richard Ford, sculptor Richard Serra and photographer Joel Meyerowitz.

At the Web 2.0 Expo, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk gives a shot in the arm to dreamers and up-and-comers who face self-doubt. The Internet has made the formula for success simpler than ever, he argues. So there's now no excuse not to do what makes you happy.

Creativity has never been more essential to competitiveness in the business world, but the critical approach to practical originality in organizations is often lacking. Alan Iny offers a key to think outside the box: apply doubt to the very models and philosophies that make up the box itself.

How can an antihero teach us about the heroic-- and sometimes, the unheroic-- characteristics that shape a story's protagonist? From jealousy to self-doubt, Tim Adams challenges us to consider how antiheroes reflect the very mortal weaknesses that can be found within all of us. [Directed by Tahnee Gehm, narrated by Zach Tolchinsky].

An exploration of faith’s place in our current, tumultuous times.

Build Back Better features thought leaders and change agents evaluating our pre-pandemic systems and practices in an effort to create a more sustainable, efficient and just world. (Made possible with the support of U.S. Air Force)

If insects suddenly morphed into large beings and decided to wage war on us, there’s no doubt that humans would lose. There are an estimated 10 quintillion individual insects on earth, outnumbering humans by more than a billion to one. So what’s their secret to success? Murry Gans details the reasons behind insect abundance. [Directed by Esteban...

Naomi Oreskes is a historian of science who uses reason to fight climate change denial.

Over the years, research has shown a counterintuitive fact about human nature: Sometimes, having too much choice makes us less happy. This may even be true when it comes to medical treatment. Baba Shiv shares a fascinating study that measures why choice opens the door to doubt, and suggests that ceding control -- especially on life-or-death deci...

Your inner voice is a powerful tool for self-reflection and planning, but it can also trap you in negative thought loops — “chatter,” as psychologist and neuroscientist Ethan Kross calls it. He shares tips for quieting the less helpful aspects of the voice inside your head as well as how to harness chatter to overcome doubt, enhance your focus a...

What do you do when your beliefs and understanding of the world have been challenged, unraveled or even destroyed? Take a deep breath and learn from TED's best on how to approach these moments with grace and fortitude.

Making art isn’t self-indulgent — it’s an essential, radical act of creation, says writer Amie McNee. She explores the importance of having a creative practice, whether you’re a long-time artist or an aspiring one, and shows how to move past self-doubt and start expressing yourself. If you’ve ever felt like your creativity doesn’t matter in a wo...

For as many people as there are on Earth, there are as many answers to the question: Are you there, God? These talks offer a spectrum of personal perspectives on faith, from ardent atheists to devout believers.

Even after writing eleven books and winning several awards, Maya Angelou couldn't escape the doubt that she hadn't earned her accomplishments. This feeling of fraudulence is extremely common. Why can't so many of us shake feelings that our ideas and skills aren't worthy of others' attention? Elizabeth Cox describes the psychology behind the impo...

Emotional abuse can be incredibly damaging, increasing a person's chances of developing depression and anxiety. But these behaviors can be subtle and difficult to spot, both from within and outside a relationship. It also often makes people doubt their perceptions of their own mistreatment. How can we recognize these patterns in real life? Viann...

These unforgettable stories will carry you through the slog of your everyday commute.