TED Talks

I've been watching a lot of TED lately. If you haven't seen a TED Talk, they are 10-20 minute talks by scholars, activists, scientists, doctors, writers, etc. I find so many of the talks to be funny, inspiring, enlightening, and thought provoking. TED's tagline is "Ideas worth spreading" and I find that almost all of the talks I've watched do just that. I kinda want to give a TED talk myself in the future. I have no idea what I'd talk about, but I just think they are so cool. Here's a couple of my favorites:

My first TED Talk and still one of my favorites. Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. He is British so his talk is wonderfully dry and witty.

I've never read anything by Elizabeth Gilbert but I find her talk to be exceptionally insightful. She muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Another wonderfully hilarious talk, while at the same time changing the way you might perceive happiness. Psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

Enjoy! And tell me if you'd recommend other TED talks. I'm always looking for good ones to watch.