Some of the best TED Talks you should be watching
Back in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson took over the TED network. Under his leadership, the TED Talk platform has become a global phenomenon that transmits knowledge, excitement, and big ideas.
In his new book out this week, "TED TALKS: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking," Anderson examines the world’s most impactful TED speakers, and the different ways their public speaking approaches can be used in everyday life.
Anderson's book features 48 different TED Talks. Check out the full list below (plus two of our own that we think are pretty good).
About this talk: "Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop," Monica Lewinsky said in her March 2015 TED Talk. Here, she discusses our new global culture of online humiliation, and what can be done to fight it. via TED
About this talk: Before becoming the curator for the TED Conferences, Chris Anderson persuaded TED followers that TED could hold a secure future as an idea-based nonprofit conference rather than a for-profit conference. via TED
About this talk: Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott discussed some fascinating facts about the science of laughter. via TED
About this talk: Disaster roboticist Robin Murphy talked about building robots that helped people save lives in this fascinating discussion. via TED
About this talk: Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal discussed how new research suggested that stress can actually be positive. McGonigal demonstrated many ways to reduce stress and use it to your benefit. via TED
About this talk: Brené Brown talked about the power of vulnerability and her quest to learn more about humanity in this interesting discussion. via TED
About this talk: Surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland talked about the development of electroshock therapy and his own experiences with the controversial treatment. via TED
About this talk: Creativity expert and educator Sir Ken Robinson discussed how important it is for education systems to encourage the use of creativity, rather than to repress it. via TED
About this talk: Career analyst Dan Pink investigated the puzzle of motivation and how simple rewards are not as efficient as we may think. via TED
About this talk: Sustainable development expert Ernesto Sirolli discussed the importance of listening and how many people overlook it. Sirolli suggested that one should look at things from a different perspective in order to achieve the goal of assisting someone. via TED
About this talk: Psychologist Eleanor Longden discussed her struggles with schizophrenia and how she learned to listen to the voices in her head in order to help her cope with the disorder. via TED
About this talk: Arctic explorer Ben Saunders discussed his grueling four-month trek from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back. Saunders talked about completing Captain Robert Falcon Scott's famous failed 1912 expedition and how it became the hardest 105 days of his life. via TED
About this talk: Writer Andrew Solomon explained how some of the worst moments in our lives are what makes us who we are. Solomon expressed some encouraging heartfelt struggles that helped mold people into their true identity. via TED
About this talk: Harvard psychologist and author Dan Gilbert debated the science of happiness and how "happiness can be synthesized." Gilbert explained how the feeling of happiness could be mentally achieved even without a physical accomplishment. via TED
About this talk: Ecologist Deborah Gordon explained how ants have an extremely complex social system and achieved so with no use of language, memory or leadership. via TED
About this talk: Molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler explained her discovery of the communication of bacteria. Bassler's discovery suggested that bacteria can actually interact with each other in order to coordinate defense and attack mechanisms. via TED
About this talk: Between ISIS and the Zika virus, we often think of the modern world as an extremely dangerous place. But in this groundbreaking TED Talk, linguist Steven Pinker shows how violence has declined over thousands of years. via TED
About this talk: Writer Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the best-selling novel "Eat, Pray, Love," explains that we all have a little bit of genius inside us. via TED
About this talk: Have you ever felt overwhelmed by too many options? Psychologist Barry Schwartz explains how the abundance of choice in the modern age has made us less happy. via TED
About this talk: Dan Pallotta is anactivist and fundraiser. In this TED Talk, he challenges misconceptions about the nonprofit world, and forces us to re-examine the ways in which we give. via TED
About this talk: Oceanographer David Gallo takes us to some of the most exotic underwater habitats on Earth. via TED
About this talk: Designer Markus Fischer has been pushing the limits of robotics, something that can be seen in this 2011 talk given at TEDGlobal. He discusses and demonstrates his large but lightweight robotic bird, which is taking technology to new heights. via TED
About this talk: Jeff Han is a computer interface designer. In this 2006 TED Talk, he presents sensitive touch-screen technology. "I really think this is going to really change the way we interact with machines from this point on," he said. The iPhone came out in 2008. via TED
About this talk: Maysoon Zayid, a comedian with cerebral palsy, doesn't hold back in this riveting and hilarious TED Talk. "I'm like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali," she says. via TED
About this talk: TED Prize winnerJamie Oliver is a chef and activist, and in this TED Talk that he delivered in February 2011, he challenges our understanding of food, health and obesity in American culture. via TED
About this talk: What if your father was a terrorist? It's a reality that Zak Ebrahim has faced. His father helped orchestrate the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Here, he reflects on his journey to becoming a peace activist, and the ways that we can all reject violence. via TED
About this talk: After spending years in Philadelphia, urban sociologist Alice Goffman discovered the harsh reality of the school-to-prison pipeline. Here, she asks: "Why are we not providing support to young kids facing these challenges? Why are we offering only handcuffs, jail time and this fugitive existence? Can we imagine something better?" via TED
About this talk: Are you freaked out easily? You may want to steer clear of this talk by science writer Ed Yong, who discusses the fascinating world of parasites, roaches and other creepy crawlers. via TED
About this talk: Interested in finance? Michael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard. When thinking about the economy and society, he asks: "Do we want a society where everything is up for sale, or are there certain moral and civic goods that markets do not honor and money cannot buy?" via TED
About this talk: Vilayanur Ramachandran is a celebrated neurologist and brain expert. Here, he explains the mysteries of the brain and its 100 billion nerve cells. via TED
About this talk: High above us, there's a vast mystery in the sky. We're talking about space, of course, and it's something that Janna Levin has spent her life studying. She's a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard, and here she takes us for a walk through the universe. via TED
About this talk: Alexa Meade is a visual artist who's breaking the mold. Instead of sketching on paper or painting on a tight canvas, she paints everything around her — literally. via TED
About this talk: Elora Hardy is a sustainable designer from Bali. In her March 2015 TED Talk, she explains how she uses bamboo to create sustainable and surprising homes. via TED
About this talk: What if you could feel cellphone waves passing through you, or feed information from the internet into your brain? It's an interesting concept that neuroscientist David Eagleman explores in his March 2015 TED Talk, "Can we create new senses for humans?" via TED
About this talk: Amy Cuddy is a social psychologist, and in her June 2012 TED Talk, "Your body language shapes who you are," she explores the nonverbal cues that drive us all. via TED
About this talk: Bill Stone is an inventor and explorer who's changing the way we think about space and the phase of human exploration. "There was once a time when people did bold things to open the frontier," he says in this talk. "We have collectively forgotten that lesson. Now we're at a time when boldness is required to move forward." via TED
About this talk: At age 64, journalist and athleteDiana Nyad did what was previously unthinkable: She swam 100 miles from Cuba to Florida. In this inspiring talk, she encourages us all to just keep swimming. via TED
About this talk: Rita Pierson is an inspiring teacher who spent four decades in the classroom. In her May 2013 TED Talk, "Every kid needs a champion," she pushes us all to think differently about education. "Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be," she says. via TED
About this talk: We've all had ups and downs with the people we love — it's something that relationship therapist Esther Perel has spent her life examining. Here, she explores why we cheat, and why it doesn't have to be the end of a loving connection. via TED
About this talk: Musician Amanda Palmer has shaken up the world of rock in more ways than one. Here, she challenges us to re-examine our relationship with music — and the ways we pay for it. via TED
About this talk: Bryan Stevenson tackles poverty and discrimination head on as the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Here, he talks about justice, society, money and power, and trying to find balance in between. via TED
About this talk: George Monbiot is author of the book, "Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea, and Human Life." In his July 2013 TED Talk, he argues that preserving natural landscapes and rewilding can offer humans something we've been missing: hope. via TED
About this talk: You might not know it, but public radio journalist Roman Mars, host of 99% Invisible, is obsessed with flags. He says that a nation's physical symbol — the flag — can teach us way more about design than we think. via TED
About this talk: The LXD — also known as the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers — took to the TED stage back in February 2010. Here, they explain how technology is fundamentally transforming the world of dance in ways that Fred Astaire could never dream of. via TED
About this talk: Dan Dennett is a philosopher and cognitive scientist. In his 2002 talk "Dangerous Memes," Dennett discusses Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins, the "Me Decade" and infectious ideas. via TED
About this talk: Sandra Aamodt is a neuroscientist and science writer, and in her TED Talk from June 2013, she explains why diets don't work — for people and for society. "What if we told all those dieting girlsthat it's OK to eat when they're hungry?What if we taught them to work with their appetiteinstead of fearing it?" she asks. via TED
About this talk: Have you ever pressed the "Reply all" button and wished you hadn't? Have you ever fought with a troll? If so, you'll want to listen to journalist Jon Ronson. Here, Ronson explores the dark side of the internet and public shaming in the digital age. via TED
About this talk: In his February 2013 talk "We the People, and the Republic, we must reclaim," legal activist Lawrence Lessig argues that change in America is not impossible. "We have lost that republic.All of us have to act to get it back," he says. via TED
About this talk: Is there a secret to a greatTED Talk? Curator Chris Anderson says that while there's no single winning formula, they all have a common ingredient. via TED
The last two examples might show a little bit of bias, but we certainly think they're some of the best.
About this talk: Here, Takeaway host John Hockenberry gives a TED Talk on living with design and intent. via TED
About this talk: Alisa Miller is the CEO of Public Radio International. In her 2008 TED Talk, "How the news distorts our worldview," she explains how the media shapes our view of the planet.
This story first aired as an interview on PRI's The Takeaway, a public radio program that invites you to be part of the American conversation.
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