TED Radio Hour

This recording of "Beauty and the Brain," a session hosted by Guy Raz at TED 2014, brings popular speakers back to the TED stage with updates on their work and personal lives.  Tierney Thys talks about how being in the natural world engages your brain; Dan Gilbert discusses why we so often make decisions that our future selves regret; Jane McGonigal explores a video game that is better than morphine at relieving pain; seventeen-year-old Taylor Wilson details his progress on the nuclear reactor he built in his garage; and Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuro-scientist who lived through a stroke, explains how her life has changed since her TED Talk went viral. 

This recording of "Beauty and the Brain," a session hosted by Guy Raz at TED 2014, brings popular speakers back to the TED stage with updates on their work and personal lives.  Tierney Thys talks about how being in the natural world engages your brain; Dan Gilbert discusses why we so often make decisions that our future selves regret; Jane McGonigal explores a video game that is better than morphine at relieving pain; seventeen-year-old Taylor Wilson details his progress on the nuclear reactor he built in his garage; and Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuro-scientist who lived through a stroke, explains how her life has changed since her TED Talk went viral. 

We all want to find happiness, but it seems elusive. Can we learn more about happiness through science? Or are there simpler ways to achieve it? Host Guy Raz feels happy listening to Pharrell’s song “Happy”, so Guy asked Pharrell to share his ideas on happiness. Then we hear from five TED speakers who contemplate different paths to finding happiness. Researcher Matt Killingsworth says we're often happiest when we're lost in the moment. Journalist Carl Honore believes our society's emphasis on speed erodes our quality of life. Writer Graham Hill makes the case for taking up less space.  Psychologist Dan Gilbert challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want.  Brother David Steindl-Rast reflects on slowing down, looking where you’re going, and being grateful.

Violence and brutality are grim realities of life. So why are some people violent, and others aren’t? Are some of us born that way, or can anyone be pushed into committing acts of cruelty? What would it take for an ordinary person to become violent? In this hour, TED speakers explore the sinister side of human nature, and whether we’re all capable of violence. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo tells the story of his notorious Stanford Prison experiment and how easy it is for people to turn violent. Neuroscientist Jim Fallon uncovers the wiring of a psychopathic killer. Writer Leslie Morgan Steiner tells the harrowing story of her abusive relationship, and shares why victims of domestic violence often don’t leave. Psychology professor Steven Pinker charts the whole of human history, and says we are living in the most peaceful time in our existence.

As adults, we experience childhood as a series of flashbacks. And those memories — however few and faulty — form the foundation of who we are. In this hour, TED speakers reflect on how our upbringing shapes us.  Tinkering School Founder Gever Tulley says that when kids are given sharp tools and matches, their imaginations take off and they become better problem-solvers.   Journalist Jennifer Senior argues that the goal of raising happy children is so elusive that it has put modern, middle-class parents into a panic. Poet and playwright Lemn Sissay was raised by the state; he talks about the empty space where his family should have been. Writer Andrew Solomon dives into his childhood to describe moments of great adversity, and how they helped him forge an identity.

Is leadership only reserved for the extraordinary few? Who has what it takes to disrupt the status quo? In this hour, TED speakers share ideas about what it takes to forge a new path. Four-star general Stanley McChrystal recounts some tough lessons about leadership he gained from the front lines. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gets to the bottom line for women who want to lead. Bunker Roy created a school in India that equips rural women for leadership by training them to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors. Drew Dudley calls on us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other’s lives. Seth Godin believes the Internet gives ordinary people the power to lead.

From Little League to the Olympics, athletic mastery plays a major role in our sense of achievement. But how do elite athletes push the limits of speed, strength and endurance? In this hour, TED speakers explore the minds and bodies of champions who achieve extraordinary physical feats, over and over again. Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad takes us on the journey of her historic swim from Cuba to Florida at age 64. Sports journalist David Epstein explores the technology, genetics, and willpower that allow champions to break new records each year. Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy talks about how losing her legs at age 19 enabled her to achieve more than she ever dreamed. Historian Sarah Lewis explains why the near-win motivates us to keep going.

Science and technology now allow us to "hack" solutions to the biggest challenges of our time. But how far is too far? And what are the consequences of these hacks? In this hour, we hear stories from TED speakers who dare to hack the brain, the climate, and even the animal kingdom in hopes of creating a better world. Computer security expert Mikko Hyppönen describes how he discovered the first PC virus and what he learned about protecting the Internet today. Environmentalist Stewart Brand says we now have the technology to bring back some of the species that humanity has wiped out. Climate scientist David Keith proposes a cheap and surprising way to address climate change. Inventor Jay Silver encourages everyone to play with the world around us. Neurosurgeon Andres Lozano talks about dramatic findings in deep brain stimulation.

Gazing up at the night sky is simultaneously humbling and utterly thrilling. This hour, we’ll hear from TED speakers who share an infectious sense of wonder and curiosity about our place in the universe and what lies beyond our skies. Phil Plait breaks down how we can defend Earth from an asteroid. Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute explains why it’s crucial for humans here on earth to continue searching for sentient beings in the cosmos. Physicist Brian Greene unravels the strange tale of dark matter and why our universe may be one of many in the “multiverse.”

Even the most original ideas are essentially remixes.  When is copying flattery, when is it thievery, and when is it sheer genius? In this hour, TED speakers explore how sampling, borrowing, and riffing make all of us innovators. Sampling music isn't about "hijacking nostalgia wholesale," says DJ Mark Ronson. It's about inserting yourself into the narrative of a song while pushing that story forward. Filmmaker Kirby Ferguson says nothing is original and that our most celebrated creators steal ideas — and transform them into something new. Clothing designs aren’t protected by copyright — and the industry benefits by being more innovative, says Johanna Blakley. People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But writer Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story.

Let’s face it: people lie.  We lie to each other and to ourselves. Is there a deeper reason why we do it?  In this episode, TED speakers deconstruct the hard truths of deception. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely explains the hidden reasons we think it's okay to cheat or steal. Pamela Meyer points out manners and cues that can help us suss out a lie. Technology might actually force us to be more honest, says psychologist Jeff Hancock. Michael Shermer says the human tendency to believe strange things boils down to two of the brain's most basic, hard-wired survival skills. Magician Eric Mead extends the placebo effect to magic, pulling off a gruesome trick that’s so convincing, you’ll cringe.

  We all have our struggles, whether they be mental, physical, or social. But what is it that makes some of us keep trying and striving to overcome despite the odds? In this hour, TED speakers tell their stories about overcoming a weakness and turning it into a strength. Temple Grandin talks about how she struggled with autism for years until she realized that her ability to “think in pictures” allows her to solve problems that many others might miss. Shane Koyczan describes being tormented endlessly by bullies, but when he turned to spoken word poetry as an adult, he found a community of fans eager to embrace him for his anti-bullying message. Eleanor Longden recounts how her life was spiraling out of control when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, hospitalized, and drugged — until she learned to listen to and live with her voices. Kakenya Ntaiya tells the fearless story of challenging ingrained traditions, insisting to continue her education, and becoming the first girl to leave her Maasai village for college.

Our daily lives depend on travel: walking, biking, driving, flying. In the future, we’ll make tough compromises and bold leaps of faith to travel smarter, cleaner, and faster. In this hour, TED speakers reimagine the future of getting there.  Explorer Bertrand Piccard explains why he’s aiming to carry out an unprecedented mission: to circle the planet in a solar-powered airplane. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford describes how we can create a green future of smart roads and smart cars. Zipcar co-founder Robin Chase makes the case for car-sharing as the solution to global gridlock. Former New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan says cities can tackle the challenges of tomorrow by completely re-imagining our streets today. Entrepreneur Richard Branson shares his vision for private, commercial space travel.

Income inequality is at an all-time high between the haves and the have-nots. But does the poverty gap have to be so wide, and can it potentially be eliminated altogether? In this hour, TED speakers share some big ideas about inequality, and new ways we might achieve prosperity for all.  Ernesto Sirolli recounts how well-intentioned aid programs can go awry; he says the first step to addressing poverty might be to “shut up and listen.” Author and politician Chrystia Freeland charts the rise of today’s billionaire plutocrats, and wonders what concentrated super-wealth means for the rest of us. Historian Niall Ferguson explains why, when it comes to amassing wealth, it’s been the West versus the rest for the past 500 years. Ghanaian economist George Ayittey says that when it comes to Africa, it’s up to a new generation to bring about accountability. Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen Fund, discusses groundbreaking work that connects the poor to the global economy.

Human beings have a fine-tuned sense of fear. But how do we distinguish between fear and danger? How do we decide which fears are rational and irrational? In this hour, TED speakers explore what it means to be afraid, and how we calm ourselves down — or don’t — when we’re terrified. Astronaut and retired colonel Chris Hadfield discusses how to prepare your mind for the unexpected, and the worst. Through the story of the whaleship Essex, novelist Karen Thompson Walker describes how our most vivid fears are often not the most realistic. Folk singer Joe Kowan talks about the visceral, body-hijacking experience he feels when he’s performing in front of an audience, and how a song helped him cope with stage fright. Illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine reveals how he has made a career out of fearlessly performing death-defying feats. Philosopher Stephen Cave delves into the simple question: Why are human beings afraid to die?