How to Be a Better Human

Summer Fridays: How to get your sense of wonder back (w/ Nate DiMeo) (re-release)

How do you make sense of the present? Nate DiMeo might suggest you look at the past. Nate is the host of the podcast and book, The Memory Palace. Nate joins Chris to discuss how the past can teach us to live life in a new, rich, and complex way. Nate shares how to exercise the muscle of curiosity, how to tap into your sense of wonder to escape algorithmic filters, and urges you to seek moments of meaning in between life’s biggest plot points. This is an episode of TED's How to Be a Better Human podcast. Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://tedtalks.social/4gmAZt3 [https://tedtalks.social/4gmAZt3] For the full text transcript, visit https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts [https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts] Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from THE MEMORY PALACE by Nate DiMeo; excerpt read by Nate DiMeo. © 2024 Nate DiMeo ℗ 2024 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. This episode originally aired in 2025. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts [https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How to think fast and talk smart (w/ Matt Abrahams)

Matt Abrahams is a communication expert who teaches strategic communication at Stanford University, hosts the podcast Think Fast Talk Smart, and wrote the new book Think Faster, Talk Smarter. In this episode, he joins Chris to share his insights on mastering communication on the spot. From breaking down the four-step format on how to give an excellent speech to identifying which peers would be most effective as your test audience, Matt’s tips demonstrate the clues you can use to help you communicate better and deliver messages worth remembering. Featured guest * Follow Matt Abrahams on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thinkfasttalksmart/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams/], and at https://mattabrahams.com/ [https://mattabrahams.com/] Connect with the team * Follow Chris on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chrisiduffy/?hl=en] and at chrisduffycomedy.com [https://chrisduffycomedy.com/] * Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me [https://t.ted.com/ZGuYfcL]  * Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDPods [https://www.youtube.com/@TEDPods] * Follow TED on X [https://x.com/TEDTalks], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ted], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TED], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks] For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts [https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why you are starved for creativity—and how to fix it (w/ Katina Bajaj)

Katina Bajaj is a scientist studying “creative health.” She looks at the role of play, fun, art, and creativity in our overall wellbeing. When was the last time you’ve gone on an “awe walk?” For Katina, carving out time where she’s not listening to music or podcasts on her walks but instead smelling the hydrangeas or allowing her mind to wander is a key way to destress. Katina joins Chris to talk about why adults are starved for creativity and why it’s important to push through the discomfort when trying something new for the first time. Featured guest * Follow Katina Bajaj on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/katina.bajaj/?hl=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmountanos/], and at https://www.katinabajaj.com/ [https://www.katinabajaj.com/] * Subscribe to Katina's Substack Creative Health [https://daydreamerspace.substack.com/about] * Watch Katina's TED Talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/katina_bajaj_how_play_boosts_your_creativity_and_resilience] Connect with the team * Follow Chris on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chrisiduffy/?hl=en] and at chrisduffycomedy.com [https://chrisduffycomedy.com/] * Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me [https://t.ted.com/ZGuYfcL]  * Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective [https://www.youtube.com/TEDAudioCollective] * Follow TED on X [https://x.com/TEDTalks], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ted], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TED], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks] For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts [https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How play is the secret to success at work (w/ Maxwell Pearce)

Why is it so fun to watch your team win in the World Cup or to be a Knicks fan as they finally get an NBA championship? There’s a collective joy in sports that can also be found in art, theater, and comedy. In this episode of How to Be a Better Human with Maxwell Pearce, Chris talks to him about his accomplishments as a mixed media artist and a Harlem Globetrotter. Maxwell integrates playfulness into his art and in sports—whether it’s using shoelaces as texture in his artwork or training his body to perform a basketball trick shot. Maxwell shares how play is the secret ingredient in his career and how changing the way he thinks about the rules and mistakes allows him to have more fun and more successes. Find more ways you can make more room for play in your life with PLAY@TED. Learn more from conversations, ideas and moments at ted.com/play [http://ted.com/play] Featured guest * Follow Maxwell Pearce on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/maxwellpearce/] and at https://theartofanathlete.com/ [https://theartofanathlete.com/] * View Maxwell's Harlem Globetrotter's profile [https://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/world-tour/roster/hops/] Connect with the team * Follow Chris on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chrisiduffy/?hl=en] and at chrisduffycomedy.com [https://chrisduffycomedy.com/] * Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me [https://t.ted.com/ZGuYfcL]  * Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective [https://www.youtube.com/TEDAudioCollective] * Follow TED on X [https://x.com/TEDTalks], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ted], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TED], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks] For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts [https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How to give up control - advice from neuroscientist Heather Berlin

Heather Berlin is a a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and professor of psychiatry and neuroscience who studies the science of giving up control. She joins Chris to talk about finding the balance between knowing when to hold on to control and when to let go and be present in the moment. They also discuss why you don’t need to always be productive or in a constant state of self-optimization, and how there are benefits in learning to lose track of time and practicing boredom. Featured guest * Follow Heather Berlin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/heather_berlin/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-berlin-phd-mph-a753ba10/], and at https://heatherberlin.com/ [https://heatherberlin.com/] * Buy Heather's book The Fine Art of Losing Control [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1982150009?tag=simonsayscom] * Tune in to Heather's TED Talk, coming soon in November 2026 Connect with the team * Follow Chris on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chrisiduffy/?hl=en] and at chrisduffycomedy.com [https://chrisduffycomedy.com/] * Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me [https://t.ted.com/ZGuYfcL]  * Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective [https://www.youtube.com/TEDAudioCollective] * Follow TED on X [https://x.com/TEDTalks], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ted], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TED], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks] For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts [https://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.