TED Radio Hour

We experience powerful emotions all of the time, but what are they exactly? Where do they come from? This hour, TED speakers invoke history, language, science and music to help us think about the way we feel. Guests include writer John Koenig, cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith, psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, developmental researcher Kang Lee, and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

It's hard to change habits, but a gentle push can move us in the right direction. This episode, TED speakers offer deceptively simple "nudges" for managing our kids, our health, and our aspirations. Guests include behavioral economist Richard Thaler, psychiatrist Judson Brewer, psychologist Carol Dweck, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, and economist Sendhil Mullainathan. (Original broadcast date: June 24, 2016)

Why do we harshly judge certain behaviors or conditions, making it harder to talk honestly about them? This hour, TED speakers confront stigmas around addiction, depression, HIV and sex work. Guests include journalist Johann Hari, TV/film producer and mental health advocate Nikki Webber Allen, HIV awareness educator Arik Hartmann, and sex worker and activist Juno Mac.

Humans adapt to physical and creative challenges in remarkable ways. How do we do it, and what happens when we can't? In this episode, TED speakers share inspiring stories about our capacity to adapt. Guests include runner Christopher McDougall, nonprofit founder Daniel Kish, author Rich Benjamin and artist Janet Echelman. (Original Broadcast Date: November 20, 2015)

The past few years have ushered in an explosion of new discoveries about our universe. This hour, TED speakers explore the implications of these advances — and the lingering mysteries of the cosmos. Guests include theoretical physicist Allan Adams, planetary scientist Sara Seager, and astrophysicists Natasha Hurley-Walker and Jedidah Isler.

We're always asked to be faster and more precise. But what can we learn from slowing down — even procrastinating? This hour, TED speakers explore why taking it slow is crucial...for all of us. Guests include TV producer Thomas Hellum, psychologist Adam Grant, blogger Tim Urban, mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe, marketer Lakshmi Pratury, and video artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo. (Original broadcast date: August 26, 2016)

Data, statistics and algorithms dominate every aspect of our lives. But how accurate are they, and how fair? This hour, TED speakers explore the ups and downs of relying too much on the numbers. Guests include mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil, computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, data visualisation editor Alan Smith, data journalist Mona Chalabi, and criminal justice reformer Anne Milgram.

What does money tell us about human nature? How does it motivate, trick, satisfy and disappoint us? In this hour, TED speakers share insights into our relationship with money. Guests include psychologist Laurie Santos, behavioral economist Keith Chen, social psychologist Paul Piff, writer Daniel Pink and social scientist Michael Norton. (Original broadcast date: April 4, 2014).

What are the five biggest global challenges we face right now — and what can we do about them? This hour, TED speakers explore some radical solutions to these enduring problems. Guests include geoengineer Tim Kruger, president of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband, political scientist Ian Bremmer, global data analyst Sarah Menker, and historian Rutger Bregman.

Math intimidates a lot of us, but it can deliver surprising answers to life's pressing questions. In this episode, TED speakers discuss the elegant simplicity, and giddy complexity, of solving for X. Guests include comic book author Randall Munroe, polymath Terry Moore, percussionist Clayton Cameron and Mathematician Hannah Fry. (Original broadcast date: March 5, 2015)

Beauty surrounds us, draws us in, gives joy and creates conflict. In this hour, TED speakers conjure up beauty both ancient and modern, and suggest reasons why humans are hardwired to crave and respond to beauty. Guests include the late philosopher Denis Dutton, psychologist Nancy Etcoff, fashion model Cameron Russell, community activist Bill Strickland, and designer Richard Seymour. (Original broadcast date: April 19, 2013)

Our approach to treating disease is, in many ways, narrow and rooted in the past. Is it time for a new paradigm? This hour, TED speakers share their visions for new ways to understand medicine. Guests include cancer physician and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, surgeon and writer Atul Gawande, neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, and internist Joseph Ravenell.

Are deception and secrecy categorically wrong? Or can they be a necessary means to an end? This hour, TED speakers share stories of going undercover to explore unknown territory, and find the truth. Guests include poet and activist Theo E.J. Wilson, journalist Jamie Bartlett, counter-terrorism expert Mubin Shaikh, and educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh.

The brain can seem as mysterious as a distant galaxy, but scientists are starting to map and manipulate its many regions. In this hour, TED speakers take us on a trip through the human brain. Guests include neuroanatomist Jill Bolte-Taylor, neuroscientists Suzana Herculano-Houzel and Nancy Kanwisher, cognitive neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe, and philosopher David Chalmers. (Original broadcast date: February 20, 2015)

Sometimes, being truthful can be uncomfortable — even risky. But can radical honesty and openness change things for the better? This hour, TED speakers take transparency all the way to its limit. Guests include business writer David Burkus, entrepreneur Ray Dalio, journalist Trevor Timm, and hospital-patient liaison Leilani Schweitzer.

Once invisible details of our lives can now be tracked and turned into data. Will this make life easier or more complicated? This hour, TED speakers imagine how Big Data will reshape our world. Guests include tech journalist Kenneth Cukier, scientist Riccardo Sabatini, data analyst Susan Etlinger, and astronomer Andrew Connolly. (Original broadcast date: September 9, 2016)

Sometimes, the best solutions to complex problems are simple. But simple doesn't always mean easy. This hour, TED speakers describe the innovation and hard work that goes into achieving simplicity. Guests include designer Mileha Soneji, chef Sam Kass, sleep researcher Wendy Troxel, public health advocate Myriam Sidibe, and engineer Amos Winter.

Art can evoke powerful feelings. But can it do more? This hour, TED speakers share ideas on the transformative nature of art and its ability to shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Guests include painter and sculptor Titus Kaphar, painters Dre Urhahn and eL Seed, textile artist Magda Sayeg, and conductor Benjamin Zander.

Humans need food, sleep, safety, love, purpose. Psychologist Abraham Maslow ordered our needs into a hierarchy. This week, TED speakers explore that spectrum of need, from primal to profound. Guests include psychologist Margie Lachman, neuroscientist Russell Foster, computer security expert Bruce Schneier, journalist Sebastian Junger, activist Caroline Casey, and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. (Original broadcast date: April 17, 2015)

We're living in a time of intense ideological division, and it often feels impossible to bridge the gap. But can we afford not to? This hour, TED speakers explore how to communicate across the divide. Guests include social media activist Megan Phelps-Roper, social psychologist Robb Willer, former Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, public radio host Celeste Headlee, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.