Ideas worth spreading

Humor

These TED Talks, covering every topic under the sun, have one thing in common: They're laugh-out-loud funny.

Video playlists about Humor

A decade in review

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

Talks for when you want to laugh and think

These hilarious talks won’t just make you laugh out loud -- they’ll make you think twice.

The funniest TED Talks

Great TED Talks illuminate an idea. Sometimes, they do it while making you laugh. These talks will bring a smile to your face. Please note: Vigorous debate ensued among our staff about which talks to include. So we hope you'll find something for every sense of humor.

Charming talks for a boost on a bad day

Bad days happen to good people. Here are talks guaranteed to help cheer you up.

See all playlists on Humor

Talks about Humor

The 100 tampons NASA (almost) sent to space -- and other absurd songs

Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas

Why great leaders take humor seriously

I'm tired of people telling me to "grind"

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

An honest history of an ancient and "nasty" word

When people are "suspiciously kind"

Africa is a sleeping giant -- I'm trying to wake it up

Matthew A. Wilson

The health benefits of clowning around

Dictators hate political cartoons -- so I keep drawing them

The perks of being a pirate

Patrick Chappatte

A free world needs satire

Anthony Veneziale

"Stumbling towards intimacy": An improvised TED Talk

What I learned from writing jokes for The Onion

Why humor is key to creativity

Harrison Scott Key

The funny thing about the American Dream

Three ideas. Three contradictions. Or not.

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Exclusive articles about Humor

Can you teach a computer to be funny?

Here’s one example of a machine-generated joke: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To see the punchline.” Learn about the work that scientists are doing to make AI more LOL.

Posted Nov 2017

How scientists make people laugh to study humor

British cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott studies vocal communication. She explains why looking into giggles and mirth is important ... and shares ways she makes subjects laugh in the lab.

Posted Mar 2015

Marina Abramović on humor, vulnerability and failure

The grande dame of performance art explains why being vulnerable isn't an option, it's a way of life ... and why humor is an important part of her work. Really.

Posted Mar 2015

See all articles on Humor