Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects...

In her quest to become a world-famous violinist, Ji-Hae Park fell into a severe depression. Only music was able to lift her out again -- showing her that her goal needn’t be to play lofty concert halls, but instead to bring the wonder of...

For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking). A funny, thoughtful talk with...

If you feel down, or need a quick happy boost, a friendly tickle fight might help you out!

We're taught to be cool around strange dogs because they smell fear, and that might be true, but your fear is probably freaking them out too!

In 1988, Matt Goldman co-founded Blue Man Group, an off-Broadway production that became a sensation known for its humor, blue body paint and wild stunts. The show works on the premise that certain conditions can create "aha moments" --...

In a talk packed with wry wisdom, pop culture queen Bevy Smith shares hard-earned lessons about authenticity, confidence, mature success and why, if you put in the work, "life gets greater later."

When are humans most happy? To gather data on this question, Matt Killingsworth built an app, Track Your Happiness, that let people report their feelings in real time. Among the surprising results: We're often happiest when we're lost in...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how you can use Lewis Diagrams and VSEPR Models to make predictions about molecules. The Lewis diagrams are a two-dimensional representations of covalent bonds and the VSEPR models show how the...

Whether we cry during a sad movie, while chopping onions, or completely involuntarily, our eyes are constantly producing tears. Alex Gendler tracks a particularly watery day in the life of Iris (the iris) as she cycles through basal,...

How do you rediscover a happier, more purpose-driven (and less productivity-obsessed) self in the wake of the pandemic? Quiz yourself alongside work futurist Dominic Price as he lays out a simple yet insightful four-part guide to...

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 into what makes workers unhappy -- and how companies can benefit their bottom lines by...

Hank gives you five MORE reasons why you should probably avoid smoking, or quit if you already smoke - in addition to those big ones you already know about. These are the weird reasons.

Imagine winning a multi-million dollar lottery tomorrow. If you're like many of us, you'd be ecstatic, unable to believe your good luck. But would that joy still be there a few years later? Raj Raghunathan describes a phenomenon called...

Daniel Lismore's closet is probably a bit different than yours -- his clothes are constructed out of materials ranging from beer cans and plastic crystals to diamonds, royal silks and 2,000-year-old Roman rings. In this striking talk,...

Being happy makes you smile, but that might just work the other way around, too.

Composting is a way to turn scraps of food you aren't going to eat anymore into healthy soil for your garden! But how does food turn in to dirt?! Mister Brown and Squeaks take a trip to SoilCycle, a place that makes compost in...

In the 20th century we added an unprecedented number of years to our lifespans, but is the quality of life as good? Surprisingly, yes! Psychologist Laura Carstensen shows research that demonstrates that as people get older they become...

When you think about it, your eyebrows are a little strange! But they're also really important! From protecting your eyes to helping others know how you feel, those little bits of hair in the middle of your face have some big jobs!

Laughter, love, and happiness are some of the best aspects of being human, and we've looked into the science behind it more than a few times. Here are a few videos that we hope will make you happy!

Knock knock! Who’s there? It’s Jessi and Squeaks exploring the science of why we laugh!

Designer Jessi Arrington packed nothing for TEDActive but 7 pairs of undies, buying the rest of her clothes in thrift stores around LA. It's a meditation on conscious consumption -- wrapped in a rainbow of color and creativity.

The Origin of Quantum Mechanics (feat. Neil Turok)

You may have experienced this before: When you repeat the same word over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over, the words suddenly sound foreign and lose all meaning, but why?