What does exercise do to your brain? Can psychedelics treat depression? From smart daily habits to new medical breakthroughs, welcome to TED Health, with host Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider. TED speakers answer questions you never even knew you had, and share ideas you won't hear anywhere else, all around how we can live healthier lives.
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In a society that grows ever more risk averse, how do we balance fun and competition with our responsibilities to keep one another safe? In this talk, sport science professor Ben Jones explores our assumptions about contact sports. He reflects on our perceptions of risk and reward and offers a path to a safer sporting experience for amateurs and professionals alike. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr. Alicia Zhou is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Research Institute—the oldest nonprofit in the world devoted exclusively to cancer immunology and immunotherapy. She joins Shoshana to discuss the innovations happening in cancer research, how immunotherapy is different from chemotherapy and radiation, what doctors can do to make clinical trials less intimidating, and why the conversation around cancer will change in the next 10 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...
Picture this. You're scrolling late at night and a reel pops up advertising a seemingly magical wellness product with some scientific-sounding marketing language. Do you stick around and maybe even believe it? Or do you scroll away? In this episode, Shoshana explores the mind, and how perception affects it. She shares two talks about how different people can experience reality in wildly different ways. First, Alex Rosenthal shares how having aphantasia prevents him from generating mental images,...
Why do we feel exhausted all the time? We’ll get through the workday, collapse on the couch, scroll for a while, and go to bed… but wake up still feeling depleted. In this episode, Shoshana seeks to understand the concept of“deep rest.” She speaks to psychologist Dr. Alexandra Crosswell on the role stress plays in our daily lives and what safety has to do with bodily repair and restoration. Talk featured What’s the best position to sleep in? | Rachel Marie E. Salas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...
In a world growing louder, faster and more fractured, author Pico Iyer makes the case for a radical act of repair. Explore why tapping into silence may be the best medicine you can give yourself, and everyone around you. (Following his talk at TED2025, he joins Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, to share how he finds time for silence and mindfulness in a hyperactive world, why he avoids going online and how his previous TED Talk about ping pong led to him being cast in the film “Marty Supreme.”)...
Does eating local honey help reduce your allergies through microexposure to local pollen? How effective is at-home allergies test? And why do so many Olympic athletes have asthma? These are some of the questions raised in today’s conversation with immunologist Dr. Zachary Rubin. From cat dander to pollen to peanuts, Dr. Rubin discusses how having minor to severe allergies can affect your health and what you can do to manage your allergies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...
Could exposing kids to their fears help them thrive later on in life? Exploring the science of exposure therapy, pediatric psychologist Kathryn Hecht shows how encouraging children to handle discomfort builds confidence and resilience. Through personal stories and practical strategies, she shares the secret for raising kids ready to meet life’s challenges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this season of WorkLife, we’re pairing each of our regular episodes with a companion interview to do a deeper dive into the topic. This is the companion for our episode on the secrets of a great apology. Michael McCullough is a psychology professor at UC San Diego and a pioneer in the study of forgiveness, gratitude, and empathy—he finds that although forgiveness is important, it isn’t always the answer to conflict. Michael and Adam discuss why humans evolved to forgive, examine what causes p...
When has healthcare advice become so complicated? And how should we be thinking about long-term wellness? Zeke Emanuel is an oncologist and bioethnicist whose latest book, Eat Your Ice Cream, might sound paradoxical against modern health trends and wellness noise. Zeke joins Shoshana to discuss what healthy aging looks like and why it’s never too late to practice health habits. Talk featured TED-Ed: The 3 best predictors of how well you’ll age | Juulia Jylhava Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
From Grey’s Anatomy to The Pitt, medical tv shows depict TV deaths and illnesses all the time, but they’re rarely explored in depth. In this episode from the 2025 End Well Summit, Shoshana is in conversation with Tembi Locke, executive producer of From Scratch, Nikki Boyer, creator of Dying for Sex, and Katherine LaNasa, Emmy-award winning actress on The Pitt, on how TV showrunners can reshape dialogues around death and help everyone rethink end of life care for their loved ones. Hosted on Acast...
Yohanis Riek went from herding cattle and fighting as a child soldier to becoming the first doctor in his community in South Sudan. He shares his journey to found a nonprofit bringing health care to remote communities — empowering locals to take charge of their own health, as the world's newest country finds its place in the world. (Following the talk, Lily James Olds, director of the TED Fellows program, interviews Riek on the effect of USAID withdrawal in South Sudan and why he’s choosing to s...
Food is supposed to nourish us, but what happens when it sends us to the hospital instead? In this episode, Emma Bryce asks whether it is safe to eat cookie dough. Then Nicola Twilley shares how the kitchen refrigerator transforms our lives – and our relationship to food. Talks Featured Is it really that bad to eat cookie dough? - Emma Bryce How the fridge changed food - Nicola Twilley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
DNA carries the code for carrying out biological life, yet DNA is an unstable molecule. The reality is that DNA in all organisms is in a dynamic state with its environment, constantly becoming damaged and undergoing processes for damage reversal and repair. In this TEDx talk, Dr. Linda Chelico, a professor who research spans biochemistry, virology, and cancer biology, discuss how understanding DNA can lead to new insights on cancer treatments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...
Eric Green is a genomic researcher whose work with the Human Genome Project on mapping and sequencing DNA has revolutionized the medical field. From sampling patients’ DNA through blood tests to screen for diseases to identifying which medicine works best with your DNA, Green argues that genomic sequencing isn’t just effective—it’s economical. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Software engineer Adam Munder is on a mission to break down communication barriers between the Deaf and hearing worlds. In a live demo, he introduces OmniBridge — an AI platform that translates American Sign Language into English text in real time — and demonstrates how this tech could ensure every conversation can be fully understood, regardless of the participants' hearing abilities. Munder is joined onstage by ASL interpreter Christan Hansen and TED’s Hasiba Haq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...
Neuroscientist Jennifer Pfeifer digs into the fascinating brain changes driving young people’s behavior during the critical years of adolescence. She debunks some of the biggest misunderstandings about teens — including puberty, hormones and the impact of social media on mental health — and shows how to support kids during this period of growth and possibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From negotiating food choices to limiting screen time, raising healthy kids is complicated—but it doesn’t have to be, says pediatrician Dr. Shari Barkin. Dr. Barkin joins Shoshana to talk about the ways caregivers can carve out 10 minutes of their day to model a healthy lifestyle and help everyone in the family thrive. Talk featured: Inside the mind of a newborn baby - Claudia Passos Ferreira Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Whether it’s micromanaging playtime, constantly hovering or incessantly texting, the adult takeover of childhood has created a crisis of anxiety in both children and parents. In this episode, Lenore Skenazy, cofounder and president Let Grow, an organization dedicated to normalizing childhood independence, lays out the unexpected benefits of letting our kids be a bit more “free range.” Then psychologist Mathilde H Ross makes the case on why parents should trust their instinct instead of chasing t...
Bombarded with health headlines? Unsure how to discern fact from fiction? Social scientist Matthew Facciani breaks down identity politics and the psychology that shapes our most deeply held views. He discusses how healthcare professionals can do better at communicating public health policy to everyday people and why following someone whose viewpoint you disagree with can help you reflect on your biases. Talk Featured 3 questions to ask before buying into health trends - Dr. Karen Dawe Hosted on ...
The rapidly evolving field of protein design is revealing solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems, whether it's blocking a virus, breaking down a pollutant or creating brand-new materials. In conversation with TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, biochemist David Baker explores his team’s Nobel Prize-winning work using AI to design new proteins with functions never before seen in nature — achieving breakthroughs that have fundamentally changed the future of science. (This conversation wa...
Can AI compress the years long research time of a PhD into seconds? Research scientist Max Jaderberg explores how “AI analogs” simulate real-world lab work with staggering speed and scale, unlocking new insights on protein folding and drug discovery. Drawing on his experience working on Isomorphic Labs' and Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3 — an AI model for predicting the structure of molecules — Jaderberg explains how this new technology frees up researchers' time and resources to better understan...
Dr. Vivek Murthy defines loneliness distinct from isolation, highlighting its severe health risks comparable to smoking. He shares personal experiences and explores how social media contributes to this epidemic, particularly among youth. The episode offers practical strategies for a digital detox and outlines a vision for a people-centered world built on relationships, service, and purpose, concluding with a TED-Ed lesson on the brain's response to extreme isolation.
Does venting actually help you cool off, or does it just add fuel to the fire? Social psychologist Jennifer Parlamis busts common myths about anger, showing how curiosity — not catharsis — can keep you calm. Discover the surprising science behind anger management and four practical tools for building stronger relationships from a researcher who’s rethinking Freud, one deep breath at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Did you know that you start losing bone AND muscle mass as soon as the age of thirty? Or that your fingers and toes don’t have muscles? Or how women in Scotland are starting to compete in the lighting of Dinnie Stones – which weighs 733 pounds?! These are topics that Chris discussed with Bonnie Tsui, author of the book On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters. They also discuss what strength and weightlifting means in today’s society – especially as more women enter the sport. Bonni...
Neuroscientist Jennifer Pfeifer digs into the fascinating brain changes driving young people’s behavior during the critical years of adolescence. She debunks some of the biggest misunderstandings about teens — including puberty, hormones and the impact of social media on mental health — and shows how to support kids during this period of growth and possibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr. BJ Miller was a college sophomore when a sudden electrical accident nearly took his life. After months in a hospital burn unit and multiple amputations, he emerged into a world that saw him — and treated him — differently. But that experience became the foundation for everything that followed. Now a palliative care physician and one of the most compassionate voices in medicine, BJ is redefining what it means to live fully after loss and change. He challenges the very idea of “normal,” remind...
To spark action on climate change, the conventional wisdom says that awareness must precede action — but neuroscientist Kris De Meyer suggests the opposite is true: actions drive beliefs. He digs into the science behind decision-making and shows how you can rewire your brain to get unstuck on big challenges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
With just a few lines, cartoons can say so much with so little. In a moving talk, cartoonist Navied Mahdavian shares his process for distilling huge concepts into drawings on the page — and shows how his work helped him grieve the death of his beloved grandmother, flaws and all. After the talk, Shoshana interviews Nathan Gray on the use of comics and art to educate and explore the ironies of the medical world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Today, we’re featuring an episode from NPR’s science podcast Short Wave. In it, host Regina G. Barber talks to NPR brain correspondent Jon Hamilton about MENTAL EXERCISES. Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a chemical that typically declines as people age. And previous studies of people have suggested that cognitive training can improve thinking and memory. So how does it all work? And by how much does it all work? Find out with this e...
Attention isn't just about what we focus on -- it's also about what our brains filter out. By investigating patterns in the brain as people try to focus, computational neuroscientist Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar hopes to build computer models that can be used to treat ADHD and help those who have lost the ability to communicate. Hear more about this exciting science in this brief, fascinating talk. After the talk, Shoshana speaks with psychiatrist and ADHD specialist Dr. Sasha Hamdani on transformin...
