SciShow
We Don't All Have a "Mind's Eye" | Aphantasia
Some people don’t have or use visual imagination, or the “mind’s eye.” Many with this condition, called aphantasia, might not even realize that they’re experiencing the world differently, but this difference offers a new window into how...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Making a TED-Ed Lesson: Visualizing complex ideas
How can animation convey complex, intangible concepts? A visual metaphor, or an idea represented through imagery, can take an idea as massive as Big Data and tie it to the familiar depiction of a growing tree. TED-Ed animators explain...
SciShow
Do I Only Use 10% of My Brain?
SciShow debunks the myth that you only use 10 percent of your brain. So, how much do you really use? And how do we know?
SciShow
Why Does Crying Make You Feel Better?
Have you ever wondered why you feel better after a good, hearty sob? Well, it turns out the reasons are kind of a mystery, and they range from social support to brain temperature.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Pandora's box - Iseult Gillespie
Pandora was the first mortal woman, breathed into being by Hephaestus, god of fire. The gods gave her gifts of language, craftsmanship and emotion. From Zeus she received two gifts: the trait of curiosity and a heavy box screwed tightly...
TED Talks
Peter Doolittle: How your "working memory" makes sense of the world
"Life comes at us very quickly, and what we need to do is take that amorphous flow of experience and somehow extract meaning from it." In this funny, enlightening talk, educational psychologist Peter Doolittle details the importance --...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The original ring of power | Alex Gendler
More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato recounted the legend of the Ring of Gyges in "Republic." The story of the ring surfaces as the philosopher, Socrates, and his student discuss why people act justly: is it because...
TED Talks
Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life
When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In...
TED Talks
TED: How a long-forgotten virus could help us solve the antibiotics crisis | Alexander Belcredi
Viruses have a bad reputation -- but some of them could one day save your life, says biotech entrepreneur Alexander Belcredi. In this fascinating talk, he introduces us to phages, naturally-occurring viruses that hunt and kill harmful...
TED Talks
TED: The chilling aftershock of a brush with death | Jean-Paul Mari
In April 2003, just as American troops began rolling into Baghdad, a shell smashed into the building author and war correspondent Jean-Paul Mari was reporting from. There he had a face-to-face encounter with death, beginning his...
SciShow
How to Clear Your Mind
Your brain is hard-wired to do all sorts of things when you are not consciously thinking about something. But just because it’s normal for your mind to wander doesn’t mean that it’s always good! Luckily, once you know how it works, you...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The Nutritionist by Andrea Gibson
An animated interpretation of Andrea Gibson's poem "The Nutritionist"
Be Smart
How the Toilet Changed History
It may sometimes seem like things are getting worse, but there's lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future. More people have access to toilets and sanitation than ever before. Thanks to public health improvements like this, since...
TED Talks
Michael Dickinson: How a fly flies
An insect's ability to fly is one of the greatest feats of evolution. Michael Dickinson looks at how a fruit fly takes flight with such delicate wings, thanks to a clever flapping motion and flight muscles that are both powerful and...
TED Talks
David Pizarro: The strange politics of disgust
What does a disgusting image have to do with how you vote? Equipped with surveys and experiments, psychologist David Pizarro demonstrates a correlation between your sensitivity to disgusting cues -- a photo of feces, an unpleasant odor...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The surprising link between stress and memory - Elizabeth Cox
You spend weeks studying for an important test. On the big day, you wait nervously as your teacher hands it out. You're working your way through, when you're asked to define "ataraxia." You know you've seen the word before, but your mind...
TED Talks
TED: How (and why) Russia hacked the uS election | Laura Galante
Hacking, fake news, information bubbles ... all these and more have become part of the vernacular in recent years. But as cyberspace analyst Laura Galante describes in this alarming talk, the real target of anyone looking to influence...
TED Talks
TED: The social animal | David Brooks
Columnist David Brooks unpacks new insights into human nature from the cognitive sciences -- insights with massive implications for economics and politics as well as our own self-knowledge. In a talk full of humor, he shows how you can't...
TED Talks
TED: The joyful, perplexing world of puzzle hunts | Alex Rosenthal
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Welcome to the strange, deviously difficult and incredibly joyful world of puzzle hunts. Follow along as Alex...
TED Talks
Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory
Using examples from vacations to colonoscopies, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman reveals how our "experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" perceive happiness differently. This new insight has...
TED Talks
Beau Lotto: Optical illusions show how we see
Beau Lotto's color games puzzle your vision, but they also spotlight what you can't normally see: how your brain works. This fun, first-hand look at your own versatile sense of sight reveals how evolution tints your perception of what's...
TED Talks
Tali Sharot: The optimism bias
Are we born to be optimistic, rather than realistic? Tali Sharot shares new research that suggests our brains are wired to look on the bright side -- and how that can be both dangerous and beneficial.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The benefits of daydreaming | Elizabeth Cox
On a daily basis, you spend between a third and half of your waking hours daydreaming. That may sound like a huge waste of time, but scientists think it must have some purpose, or humans wouldn't have evolved to do so much of it. So,...
TED Talks
TED: Drawings that show the beauty and fragility of earth | Zaria Forman
Zaria Forman's large-scale compositions of melting glaciers, icebergs floating in glassy water and waves cresting with foam explore moments of transition, turbulence and tranquility. Join her as she discusses the meditative process of...