How To Be A Better Human isn’t your average self improvement podcast. Each week join Chris Duffy in conversation with guests and past speakers as they uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how YOU can be a better human. From your work to your home and your head to your heart, How To Be a Better Human looks in unexpected places for new ways to improve and show up for one another. Inspired by the popular series of the same name on TED’s Ideas blog, How to Be a Better Human will help you become a better person from the comfort of your own headphones.
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Money can buy you happiness – but not in the way we think. Giving money away – especially to help others – has been shown make us happier than spending on ourselves. Social psychologist Lara Aknin explains the best ways to spend on loved ones, friends and even total strangers to get the biggest happiness bang for your buck. And Harvard’s Josh Greene reveals how much money Happiness Lab listeners gave to charity via Giving Multiplier last year – and how many lives you saved. Pods Fight Poverty: h...
What makes a hometown home, and how do you find community? Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet and author of the latest poetry collection, A Little Daylight Left. Sarah and Chris grew up in New York City where the energetic and diverse community shaped their lives. They discuss how to find belonging in new neighborhoods, how to focus on creating art and being empathetic when it feels like the world is chaotic, and how to take note of the small things in life that bring them joy. Host & Guest Chr...
If you remove ingredients like dairy, wheat, flour, cane sugar, beef, pork, and chicken from your diet—then what do you eat? For Sioux chef Sean Sherman, excluding colonial ingredients from his cuisines gives him the opportunity to spotlight indigenous produce and uplift local communities. Sean is the owner of the James Beard Award-winning restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis. Sean joins Chris to discuss the philosophy behind his indigenous restaurant, where he thinks the American education system f...
Where do you belong and what does community mean to you? These are the central questions Chris asks poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib while visiting Hanif’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Hanif is a poet and essayist of many notable works such as They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us , A Fortune for Your Disaster, and A Little Devil in America , among others. Hanif joins Chris to share his love for the city Columbus, what it means to be cared for by community members, and how spending time ...
Drs. John and Julie Gottman share over 50 years of research on sustaining healthy relationships, arguing that how couples fight predicts long-term success. They explain navigating perpetual issues with temporary compromises, introduce six key questions for deeper understanding, and detail how to overcome destructive patterns like the “Four Horsemen.” The episode also covers managing external stressors with empathy and gratitude, addressing societal biases, and the impact of modern trends like technology and “me-centeredness” on commitment.
Artist Edith Zimmerman discusses her unique approach to art, drawing deeply personal and often humorous comics from her daily journal entries. She delves into the complexities of honesty and vulnerability in public work, explaining her decision to reframe her newsletter to maintain creative integrity. Edith also shares her transformative path to sobriety, detailing how she overcame a long struggle with alcohol and rediscovered fulfilling activities like running, emphasizing that self-discovery is an ongoing process of challenging personal narratives.
Author Bonnie Tsui delves into the profound role of muscles beyond aesthetics, highlighting how strength training is crucial for everyone to combat age-related muscle loss and enhance functional health. The discussion explores how societal norms often police women's bodies in strength sports, using examples like Serena Williams and Misty Copeland. Ultimately, the episode champions the joy of movement and the empowering potential of understanding and utilizing one's physical capabilities.
How do you quit people-pleasing? Internet filmmaker Baron Ryan and family therapist Stephanie R. Yates-Anyabwile unpack the all-too-common fear of rejection and explore the practices necessary to reclaim your ability to finally say “no” and stop caring about what other people think. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.) For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscri...
This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innovative approach that turned Texas into a renewable energy powerhouse. It’s a story about what could get done before partisan politics got in the way of good climate policy, and it shows that economic incentives for consume...
The real lever of a meaningful life isn’t intelligence or hustle — it’s personal agency, says Cate Hall, former Supreme Court attorney and once the world’s top-ranked female poker player. Sharing her journey from the throes of addiction to leading a multibillion-dollar foundation, Hall shares tactical wisdom for increasing your ability to see and act on life's hidden degrees of freedom, showing how even the most trapped among us can discover a path to fulfillment. For the full text transcript, v...
This episode explores the critical importance of social health, highlighting that loneliness is a public health crisis with significant physical impacts. Guest Kasley Killam introduces her 5-3-1 rule for cultivating connections and addresses common challenges like the fear of asking for help and the nuanced role of technology. She emphasizes that intentional effort in building relationships is essential for well-being and longevity, urging a shift in how we prioritize social connections.
How do you raise confident and capable children in a seemingly scary and unsafe world? According to Lenore Skenazy, the solution is simple yet controversial — you leave the kids alone. Lenore is the president of Let Grow and the founder of the Free Range Kids Movement where she argues that parents don’t need to hover over their kids as much because they’ll be more than okay — they’ll thrive. Chris and Lenore discuss why overprotecting kids can backfire, how parents might be unintentionally stifl...
Julian Treasure, author of "Sound Affects," delves into the crucial balance between content and delivery in communication, offering strategies like making listening agreements and structuring messages effectively. He introduces practical tools for better listening, such as rediscovering silence and using the RASA acronym, alongside the HALE principles for authentic speaking. Treasure also explores different listening positions and the environmental impact of sound, advocating for conscious engagement with our auditory world.
What makes some people supercommunicators? How can you become one too? This is the central lesson in Charles Duhigg’s bestseller Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret of Communication. Charles and Chris dissect what makes messy conversations so great, how to ask deep questions, and whether women and men communicate differently. They also discuss the different rules for different technologies — from telephones to Facebook to Signal — and how cautious politeness may be the best method to co...
Is it effective to engage with politics on social media — and what does it take to make actual change? Katherine Cross is a researcher on online harassment and the author of Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix. She shares why she believes social media is “anti-political” and how virtual engagement will not achieve the necessary political work for us. Katherine and Chris also discuss the limitations of short-form content in conveying decades of geopolitical strife, why our lives ...
What will dating look like in the age of AI? Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder and CEO of Bumble, the popular dating app that has helped millions of people meet their match. In this episode, Whitney chats with Adam about her vision for the future of dating online and offline, her decision to take a break from leading Bumble, and the importance of platonic love. They also debate whether or not you have to learn to love yourself before loving someone else, and imagine a world in which AI agents ve...
When someone you love is going through a difficult time, what do you say? Despite your best intentions, author Katherine May argues offering help or shying away from tough conversations isn’t as effective as you think. Katherine is the author of the memoir, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times , and its latest companion piece, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age . Chris and Katherine share how humor may sometimes be a good medicine and how to live alongside lif...
What parts of yourself did you lose as you grew up? This is one of the central questions asked in Ashley C. Ford’s memoir, Somebody’s Daughter. Ashley joins Chris to talk about growing up with an incarcerated father, grappling with a complicated relationship with her mother, and how writing can be a way of processing and understanding your life. They also discussed why adults become less kind to kids, how libraries can become safezones, and how to confront the messy parts of childhood. Follow Ho...
What makes kids so joyful? Why do polka-dots and bright colors invoke feelings of joy? How do our senses shape our experience of joy? These are questions designer Ingrid Fetell Lee studies. Ingrid is the author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness and the blog, The Aesthetics of Joy . Chris and Ingrid ruminate on how joy differs from happiness and how infectious joy can be – so much so that the simple act of sharing your joy with others can even sp...
“People are expected to have good friendships, but nobody talks about how they happen,” says journalist Aminatou Sow. Aminatou is also the host of the podcast Call Your Girlfriend and the author of the book Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close . She joins Chris to discuss the communication efforts necessary to maintain meaningful friendships, why she rejects Western society’s obsession with self-improvement, the insights she gained from reading obituaries and the act of grace in sharing ...
Humor is all around us— you only need to be intentional about seeking moments of laughter and joy in your life. In this special compilation episode on humor, Chris shares six short snippets from his conversation with thoughtful guests such as TikTok forager Alexis Nikole Nelson, meditation and happiness journalist Dan Harris, peace activist Aziz Abu-Sarah and more on how they flex their laughing muscles. From foraging mugwort to drawing a stranger for 60-seconds, Chris and his guests encourage y...
We often think donating clothes is a sustainable act, but when tons of garments are shipped to places like West Africa, it creates environmental waste and disrupts local artisans’ livelihoods. Diarra Bousso, a mathematician and sustainable fashion designer, joins Chris to unpack the hidden cost of global textiles waste and how she founded her lifestyle brand Diarrablu. She shares how she designs with emotional sustainability in mind – creating clothes that adjust to our changing body while showc...
Sarah Jaffe is the author of Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keep Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone . She and Chris discuss the emotional toll of modern work culture and the importance of community. They also dive into Sarah’s newest book, From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire , and explore the idea that between pandemics, climate change, and economic inequality, many of us are feeling a huge (and often unacknowledged sense of grief. Sarah explains the conce...
Widely recognized as a musical genius and once-in-a-generation talent, Jon Batiste is one of history’s most brilliant, prolific, and accomplished musicians. The Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar-winning star joins to discuss his legendary career, connecting people through a shared love of music. This episode originally aired on Design Matters March 31, 2025. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
What is the aspect of being you that you cling to most tightly? Why are you you and not somebody else? How do you understand and make sense of your experiences? These are questions studied by Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience and the University of Sussex. Anil and Chris reflect on the limitations in describing the brain as a “supercomputer,” the ethical and morally grey areas of technological advancements and brain computer interfaces, and how hallucinogenic drugs ...
Austin Kleon thinks stealing inspiration is a good thing — because it requires you to pay attention to the world. Austin is a self-proclaimed “creative kleptomaniac” and the author of five books, including Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative . In his conversation with Chris, they discuss “scenius,” or the creative genius of a group, how children are invaluable creative teachers, and why he thrives in the tension between discipline and spontaneity. Follow Host: Ch...
“If you’re a good designer in five or ten years, you’re gonna want to look back on your portfolio with horror and nostalgia and somewhat amusement… because you want to be growing,” says illustrator Debbie Millman. Debbie is the host of the longest running podcast, Design Matters, and the author of the book, Love Letter to a Garden. In this episode, authenticity and growth are at the forefront. Debbie talks about the loss of humanity with the rise of personal branding, how her fascination with or...
Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than a year later, the high school senior reports back on his unexpected time in the spotlight and a new movement he's leading to fight misinformation and advocate for scientific truth. After the talk, Shos...
Heather Havrilesky is the author of the book Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage . She’s also the writer behind the advice columns “Ask Polly,” and “Ask Molly,” which is written by Polly’s mischievous alterego. In this episode, Heather and Chris navigate how to showcase your whole self – even if it means embracing the messy parts – and how leaning into contradictions can make you happier and healthier. They also discuss how most people’s twenties are a disaster, how to write in a way t...
Dawn Burrell is a celebrated long jumper, an Olympic athlete, and a chef’s whose cooking made her a semifinalist for a James Beard Award — and these are just a sampling of her many accolades. In this episode, Dawn talks about how she navigated the career shift from athlete to chef, redefining success for herself, and finding joy and fulfillment in the kitchen cooking for others. She and Chris also discuss ways to grow from failure, build confidence, and the creative process of starting something...
