TED Talks Daily

This is what makes employees happy at work | Michael C. Bush

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There are three billion working people on this planet, and only 40 percent of them report being happy at work. Michael C. Bush shares his insights int...

A guide to collaborative leadership | Lorna Davis

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between heroes and leaders? In this insightful talk, Lorna Davis explains how our idolization of heroes is holding us back from ...

An honest look at price, innovation and who powers the economy | Mariana Mazzucato

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Where does wealth come from, who creates it and what destroys it? In this deep dive into global economics, Mariana Mazzucato explains how we lost sigh...

Why I protest for climate justice | Jane Fonda

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At age 81, actor and activist Jane Fonda is putting herself on the line for the planet -- literally. In a video interview with TEDWomen curator Pat Mi...

The increasing pace of modern life -- and how we can adapt | Kathryn Bouskill

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Why does modern technology promise efficiency, but leave us constantly feeling pressed for time? Anthropologist Kathryn Bouskill explores the paradoxe...

The profound power of an authentic apology | Eve Ensler

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Genuine apology goes beyond remorse, says legendary playwright Eve Ensler. In this frank, wrenching talk, she shares how she transformed her own exper...

A video game that helps us understand loneliness | Cornelia Geppert

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Step into artist Cornelia Geppert's visually stunning video game "Sea of Solitude," which explores how battling the "monsters" of loneliness and self-...

The problem of light pollution -- and 5 ridiculously easy ways to fix it | Kelsey Johnson

04 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ever gaze up at the starry night sky? This stunning view is at risk of disappearing -- unless we act now, says astrophysicist Kelsey Johnson. In this ...

Want to change the world? Learn the art of fundraising | Kara Logan Berlin

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you raise money to get an idea off the ground, support a community, help change the world? Take a crash course on the secret art of successful ...

How I'm using biological data to tell better stories -- and spark social change | Heidi Boisvert

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What kinds of stories move us to act? To answer this question, creative technologist Heidi Boisvert is measuring how people's brains and bodies uncons...

A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not growth | Kate Raworth

29 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? "Like a doughnut," says Oxford economist Kate Raworth. In a stellar, eye-opening t...

My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee | AJ Jacobs

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author AJ Jacobs embarked on a quest with a deceptively simple idea at its heart: to personally thank every person who helped make his morning cup of ...

How smartphones really work | Cathy Mulzer

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wondered how your smartphone works? Take a journey down to the atomic level with scientist Cathy Mulzer, who reveals how almost every component o...

How you can use impostor syndrome to your benefit | Mike Cannon-Brookes

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever doubted your abilities, feared you were going to be discovered as a "fraud"? That's called "impostor syndrome," and you're definitely no...

3 questions we should ask about nuclear weapons | Emma Belcher

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There are more than 10,000 nuclear weapons in existence today, each one capable of causing immense destruction. Why don't we talk about this threat as...

The search for our solar system's ninth planet | Mike Brown

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Could the strange orbits of small, distant objects in our solar system lead us to a big discovery? Planetary astronomer Mike Brown proposes the existe...

How to save a language from extinction | Daniel Bögre Udell

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As many as 3,000 languages could disappear within the next 80 years, all but silencing entire cultures. In this quick talk, language preserver Daniel ...

A creative solution for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan | LaToya Ruby Frazier

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artist LaToya Ruby Frazier spent five months living in Flint, Michigan, documenting the lives of those affected by the city’s water crisis for her p...

For better health care, embrace irrationality | David Asch

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we make poor decisions that we know are bad for our health? In this frank, funny talk, behavioral economist and health policy expert David Asch...

How to change your behavior for the better | Dan Ariely

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What's the best way to get people to change their behavior? In this funny, information-packed talk, psychologist Dan Ariely explores why we make bad d...

Why gender-based marketing is bad for business | Gaby Barrios

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Companies often target consumers based on gender, but this kind of advertising shortcut not only perpetuates outdated stereotypes -- it’s also bad f...

What's really happening at the US-Mexico border -- and how we can do better | Erika Pinheiro

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At the US-Mexico border, policies of prolonged detention and family separation have made seeking asylum in the United States difficult and dangerous. ...

How can we support the emotional wellbeing of teachers? | Sydney Jensen

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Teachers emotionally support our kids -- but who’s supporting teachers? In this eye-opening talk, educator Sydney Jensen explores how teachers are a...

Cryptographers, quantum computers and the war for information | Craig Costello

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this glimpse into our technological future, cryptographer Craig Costello discusses the world-altering potential of quantum computers, which could s...

Hope and justice for women who’ve survived ISIS | Rabiaa El Garani

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Human rights protector Rabiaa El Garani shares the challenging, heartbreaking story of sexual violence committed against Yazidi women and girls in Ira...

A historical musical that examines black identity in the 1901 World's Fair | Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin

08 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this lively talk and performance, artist and TED Fellow Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin offers a sneak peek of her forthcoming musical "At Buffalo." D...

What obligation do social media platforms have to the greater good? | Eli Pariser

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Social media has become our new home. Can we build it better? Taking design cues from urban planners and social scientists, technologist Eli Pariser s...

Our immigration conversation is broken -- here’s how to have a better one | Paul A. Kramer

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How did the US immigration debate get to be so divisive? In this informative talk, historian and writer Paul A. Kramer shows how an “insider vs. out...

What happens to people in solitary confinement | Laura Rovner

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine living with no significant human contact for years, even decades, in a cell the size of a small bathroom. This is the reality for those in lon...

The business case for working with your toughest critics | Bob Langert

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a “corporate suit” (his words) and former VP of sustainability at McDonald’s, Bob Langert works with companies and their strongest critics to...

The next software revolution: programming biological cells | Sara-Jane Dunn

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The cells in your body are like computer software: they’re “programmed” to carry out specific functions at specific times. If we can better unde...

Change your story, change your life | Lori Gottlieb

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Stories help you make sense of your life -- but when these narratives are incomplete or misleading, they can keep you stuck instead of providing clari...

What vaccinating vampire bats can teach us about pandemics | Daniel Streicker

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Could we anticipate the next big disease outbreak, stopping a virus like Ebola before it ever strikes? In this talk about frontline scientific researc...

What productive conflict can offer a workplace | Jess Kutch

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Got an idea to make your workplace better? Labor organizer and TED Fellow Jess Kutch can show you how to put it into action. In this quick talk, she e...

Lessons from fungi on markets and economics | Toby Kiers

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Resource inequality is one of our greatest challenges, but it’s not unique to humans. Like us, mycorrhizal fungi that live in plant and tree roots s...

The price of a "clean" internet | Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of images and videos are uploaded to the internet each day, yet we rarely see shocking and disturbing content in our social media feeds. Who'...

The medical potential of AI and metabolites | Leila Pirhaji

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Many diseases are driven by metabolites -- small molecules in your body like fat, glucose and cholesterol -- but we don’t know exactly what they are...

How to bring affordable, sustainable electricity to Africa | Rose M. Mutiso

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Energy poverty, or the lack of access to electricity and other basic energy services, affects nearly two-thirds of Sub-Saharan Africa. As the region's...

The revolutionary power of diverse thought | Elif Shafak

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"From populist demagogues, we will learn the indispensability of democracy," says novelist Elif Shafak. "From isolationists, we will learn the need fo...

How you can help transform the internet into a place of trust | Claire Wardle

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How can we stop the spread of misleading, sometimes dangerous content while maintaining an internet with freedom of expression at its core? Misinforma...

The link between fishing cats and mangrove forest conservation | Ashwin Naidu

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mangrove forests are crucial to the health of the planet, gobbling up CO2 from the atmosphere and providing a home for a diverse array of species. But...

The pride and power of representation in film | Jon M. Chu

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On the heels of the breakout success of his film "Crazy Rich Asians," director Jon M. Chu reflects on what drives him to create -- and makes a resound...

How motivation can fix public systems | Abhishek Gopalka

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you fix broken public systems? You spark people's competitive spirit. In a talk about getting people motivated to make change, public sector st...

Fashion that celebrates all body types -- boldly and unapologetically | Becca McCharen-Tran

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fashion designers have the power to change culture -- and Becca McCharen-Tran is using her platform to expand the industry's narrow definition of beau...

Why we have an emotional connection to robots | Kate Darling

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're far from developing robots that feel emotions, but we already have feelings towards them, says robot ethicist Kate Darling, and an instinct like...

An app that helps incarcerated people stay connected to their families | Marcus Bullock

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Over his eight-year prison sentence, Marcus Bullock was sustained by his mother's love -- and by the daily letters and photos she sent of life on the ...

How a handful of fishing villages sparked a marine conservation revolution | Alasdair Harris

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We need a radically new approach to ocean conservation, says marine biologist Alasdair Harris. In a visionary talk, he lays out a surprising solution ...

A circular economy for salt that keeps rivers clean | Tina Arrowood

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

During the winter of 2018-2019, one million tons of salt were applied to icy roads in the state of Pennsylvania alone. The salt from industrial uses l...

How family separation at the US-Mexico border affects children’s mental health | Luis H. Zayas

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How does psychological trauma affect children's developing brains? In this powerful talk, social worker Luis H. Zayas discusses his work with refugees...

How we can eliminate child sexual abuse material from the internet | Julie Cordua

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Social entrepreneur Julie Cordua works on a problem that isn’t easy to talk about: the sexual abuse of children in images and videos on the internet...

The cosmic war between monotony and creativity | David Deutsch

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Theoretical physicist David Deutsch delivers a mind-bending meditation on the "great monotony" -- the idea that nothing novel has appeared in the univ...

The psychology of your future self | Dan Gilbert

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of h...

What Bruce Lee can teach us about living fully | Shannon Lee

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us know Bruce Lee as the famous martial artist and action film star -- but he was also a philosopher who taught “self-actualization”: the ...

Laura Boykin: How we're using DNA tech to help farmers fight crop diseases 10, 2019

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly 800 million people worldwide depend on cassava for survival -- but this critical food source is under attack by entirely preventable viruses, s...

A personal plea for humanity at the US-Mexico border | Juan Enriquez

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this powerful, personal talk, author and academic Juan Enriquez shares stories from inside the immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border, bringing...

A radical plan to end plastic waste | Andrew Forrest

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Plastic is an incredible substance for the economy -- but it’s the worst substance possible for the environment, says entrepreneur Andrew Forrest. I...

How we’re helping local reporters turn important stories into national news | Gangadhar Patil

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Local reporters are on the front lines of important stories, but their work often goes unnoticed by national and international news outlets. TED Fello...

The transformative power of video games | Herman Narula

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A full third of the world’s population -- 2.6 billion people -- play video games, plugging into massive networks of interaction that have opened up ...

An ancient rock suggests a new theory for how life started | Tara Djokic

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Exactly when and where did life on Earth begin? Scientists have long thought that it emerged three billion years ago in the ocean -- until astrobiolog...

Why language is humanity’s greatest invention | David Peterson

05 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Civilization rests upon the existence of language, says language creator David Peterson. In a talk that’s equal parts passionate and hilarious, he s...

Innovation is the antidote to corruption | Efosa Ojomo

04 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Traditional thinking on corruption goes like this: if you put good laws in place and enforce them well, then economic development increases and corrup...

What the US health care system assumes about you | Mitchell Katz

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The US health care system assumes many things about patients: that they can take off from work in the middle of the day, speak English, have a working...

How community-led conservation can save wildlife | Moreangels Mbizah

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Conservationist and TED Fellow Moreangels Mbizah studied the famous Cecil the lion until he was shot by a trophy hunter in 2015. She wonders how thing...

Why you should shop at your local farmers market | Mohammad Modarres

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The average farmer in America makes less than 15 cents of every dollar on a product that you purchase at a store. They feed our communities, but farme...

Four billion years of evolution in six minutes | Prosanta Chakrabarty

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Did humans evolve from monkeys or from fish? In this enlightening talk, ichthyologist and TED Fellow Prosanta Chakrabarty dispels some hardwired myths...

You may be accidentally investing in cigarette companies | Bronwyn King

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tobacco causes more than seven million deaths every year -- and many of us are far more complicit in the problem than we realize. In a bold talk, onco...

A wall won’t solve America’s border problems | Will Hurd

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“Building a 30-foot-high concrete structure from sea to shining sea is the most expensive and least effective way to do border security,” says Con...

How we’re building the world’s largest family tree | Yaniv Erlich

25 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Genealogist Yaniv Erlich helped build the world’s largest family tree -- comprising 13 million people and going back more than 500 years. He shares ...

How couples can sustain a strong sexual connection for a lifetime | Emily Nagoski

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a sex educator, Emily Nagoski is often asked: How do couples sustain a strong sexual connection over the long term? In this funny, insightful talk,...

A bold plan to empower 1.6 million out-of-school girls in India | Safeena Husain

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“Girls’ education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet to help solve some of the world’s most difficult problems,” says social entr...

4 questions you should always ask your doctor | Christer Mjåset

19 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

“Doctor, is this really necessary?” Backed by startling statistics about overtreatment, neurosurgeon Christer Mjåset explains the power of this a...

How we use astrophysics to study earthbound problems | Federica Bianco

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

To study a system as complex as the entire universe, astrophysicists need to be experts at extracting simple solutions from large data sets. What else...

How climate change could make our food less nutritious | Kristie Ebi

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rising carbon levels in the atmosphere can make plants grow faster, but there’s another hidden consequence: they rob plants of the nutrients and vit...

The dirty secret of capitalism -- and a new way forward | Nick Hanauer

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rising inequality and growing political instability are the direct result of decades of bad economic theory, says entrepreneur Nick Hanauer. In a visi...

Community-powered criminal justice reform | Raj Jayadev

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Community organizer Raj Jayadev wants to transform the US court system through "participatory defense" -- a growing movement that empowers families an...

What reading slowly taught me about writing | Jacqueline Woodson

12 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Reading slowly -- with her finger running beneath the words, even when she was taught not to -- has led Jacqueline Woodson to a life of writing books ...

A “living drug” that could change the way we treat cancer | Carl June

10 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Carl June is the pioneer behind CAR T-cell therapy: a groundbreaking cancer treatment that supercharges part of a patient's own immune system to attac...

How we can turn racism into a solvable problem -- and improve policing | Phillip Atiba Goff

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When we define racism as behaviors instead of feelings, we can measure it -- and transform it from an impossible problem into a solvable one, says jus...

Why I became a climate activist -- and why you should too | Luisa Neubauer

06 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"I dream of a world where geography classes teach about the climate crisis as this one great challenge that was won by people like you and me," says c...

Inside the bizarre world of internet trolls and propagandists | Andrew Marantz

05 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Andrew Marantz spent three years embedded in the world of internet trolls and social media propagandists, seeking out the people who are pr...

How to teach teenagers to think critically about porn | Emily F. Rothman

04 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"The free, online, mainstream pornography that teenagers are most likely to see is a completely terrible form of sex education," says public health re...

What happened when we paired up thousands of strangers to talk politics | Jochen Wegner

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In spring 2019, more than 17,000 Europeans from 33 countries signed up to have a political argument with a complete stranger. They were part of "Europ...

A climate change solution that’s right under our feet | Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There’s two times more carbon in the earth's soil than in all of its vegetation and the atmosphere -- combined. Biogeochemist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe d...

Emergency medicine for our climate fever | Kelly Wanser

01 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As we recklessly warm the planet by pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, some industrial emissions also produce particles that reflect sunshi...

How I escaped North Korea -- and found freedom | Yeonmi Park

30 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"North Korea is unimaginable," says human rights activist Yeonmi Park, who escaped the country at the age of 10. Sharing the harrowing story of her ch...

How I help people understand vitiligo | Lee Thomas

29 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

TV news anchor Lee Thomas thought his career was over after he was diagnosed with vitiligo, an autoimmune disorder that left large patches of his skin...

How technology can fight extremism and online harassment | Yasmin Green

28 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Can technology make people safer from threats like violent extremism, censorship and persecution? In this illuminating talk, technologist Yasmin Green...

How climate change affects your mental health | Britt Wray

27 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"For all that's ever been said about climate change, we haven't heard nearly enough about the psychological impacts of living in a warming world," say...

How the West can adapt to a rising Asia | Kishore Mahbubani

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As Asian economies and governments continue to gain power, the West needs to find ways to adapt to the new global order, says author and diplomat Kish...

Ping-pong and the riddle of victory | Pico Iyer

23 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in England, Pico Iyer was taught that the point of a game was to win. Now, some 50 years later, he's realized that competition can be "more...

The power to think ahead in a reckless age | Bina Venkataraman

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a forward-looking talk, author Bina Venkataraman answers a pivotal question of our time: How can we secure our future and do right by future genera...

Family, hope and resilience on the migrant trail | Jon Lowenstein

21 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For the past 20 years, photographer and TED Fellow Jon Lowenstein has documented the migrant journey from Latin America to the United States, one of t...

How craving attention makes you less creative | Joseph Gordon-Levitt

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 go...

The surprising ingredient that makes businesses work better | Marco Alverà

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is it about unfairness? Whether it's not being invited to a friend's wedding or getting penalized for bad luck or an honest mistake, unfairness o...

The history of human emotions | Tiffany Watt Smith

16 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The words we use to describe our emotions affect how we feel, says historian Tiffany Watt Smith, and they've often changed (sometimes very dramaticall...

Looking for a job? Highlight your ability, not your experience | Jason Shen

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Very few of us hold jobs that line up directly with our past experiences or what we studied in college. Take TED Resident Jason Shen; he studied biolo...

A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere | Jennifer Wilcox

14 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our planet has a carbon problem -- if we don't start removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we'll grow hotter, faster. Chemical engineer Jennife...

Why I train grandmothers to treat depression | Dixon Chibanda

13 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dixon Chibanda is one of 12 psychiatrists in Zimbabwe -- for a population of more than 16 million. Realizing that his country would never be able to s...

How to tame your wandering mind | Amishi Jha

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Be humble -- and other lessons from the philosophy of water | Raymond Tang

09 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do we find fulfillment in a world that's constantly changing? Raymond Tang struggled with this question until he came across the ancient Chinese p...