Top 10 Most Inspiring TED Talks That will Change Your Life

Psychiatrist Robert Waldinger has been working on one of the landmark studies in psychology which was created by Harvard University over 75 years ago. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has been following 724 men since 1938 and tracking all aspects of their lives, including happiness. Waldinger shares his insights on how to live a happy life that he’s gleaned from his work on this ground-breaking study. After watching this you’ll want to improve your work/life balance and spend a little time with your loved ones.

Bryan Stevenson is a human rights lawyer who has experienced segregation first-hand. His talk is all about the racial divide in America, and how significant injustices still exist even in the modern day. He takes a look at the prison industrial system and examines what the death penalty says about the American judicial system. His frank assessment of how black men are treated in the United States is eye opening and will give some context for many of the major news stories taking place today.

You may recognize Elizabeth Gilbert’s name because of her hugely popular memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love.” Since the publication of that book, she has gone on to focus her career on the study of creativity, publishing works like “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”. The idea behind this talk is that geniuses don’t exist in the way we traditionally think of them, but that rather all of us are capable of our own type of genius. If you need some convincing to get a move on that project you’ve been thinking about forever, this is the talk for you.

Pop science expert Malcolm Gladwell is known for his hugely popular non-fiction books like “Outliers,” “The Tipping Point,” and “What the Dog Saw.” Before the publication of his book, “Blink,” Gladwell gave a TED Talk that honed in on what he believes makes people really, truly happy. In the talk, he gets hyper-focused and talks about the marketing of different types of food in relation to the nature of choice and human desire. You wouldn’t think a comparison between Prego and Ragu would be this compelling, but you’ll be on the edge of your seat.

Vulnerability, says academic and storyteller Brené Brown, is a state that is underappreciated in our society. She wants to dispel the idea that letting yourself be open hearted is a negative thing that should be avoided at all costs. Brown wants to encourage people to use this emotion as a positive stepping stone towards a better life. If you’re someone who has a hard time opening up and letting yourself feel vulnerable, this talk will help you to feel more confident doing so. If you’re interested in this topic, Brené Brown has also published many books, including “Daring Greatly” and the aptly titled “I though It Was Just Me (but it isn’t)”.

The life coach and self-help guru delivered this ground-breaking talk in 2007. It has gone on to be one of the most viewed on various platforms and for good reason. Robbins posited that all humans have six core needs, but that we all balance and prioritize them in different ways. These needs are certainty (or stability), uncertainty (or variety), significance, love, growth and contribution. Being aware of these needs and making a conscious effort to keep them in check is the key to happiness and fulfillment, according to Robbins.

We all know how important body language can be when it comes to communicating with others. But did you know that your body language can also impact how you feel about yourself? Expert in the field Amy Cuddy takes the radical approach that we are able to trick our brains into feeling more confident just based on the way we stand. She even presents the science behind it to prove that it actually elicits a physical reaction in the body. There has been much debate on the topic, but whatever side you land on, there’s something to be learned here.

Sir Ken Robinson may have a PHD from the University of London, but he’s a staunch critic of the education system. Robinson believes that current way that school systems function worldwide, are discouraging rather than promoting creative thought. He has his own ideas about how the system can be reformed in order to let creativity flourish, and he presents these ideas in this talk. As of 2017, this is the second most viewed TED Talk of all time, with tens of millions views across a variety of platforms.

Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity

You may have noticed that there’s been a lot of talk about introversion in the past few years, and the surge in interest for the topic can be partially credited to a talk that Susan Cain gave in February of 2012. The world’s appreciation for the quieter portion of the population can be traced back here, and in the time since its release, the idea of introversion has been viewed in a much more positive light. Cain hypothesizes that the world is built for extroverts but that we should adapt to include the power of introverts into our daily workings.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Looks Aren't Everything. Believe Me, I'm a Model.
Cameron Russell


The Danger of a Single Story
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


My Stroke of Insight
Jill Bolte Taylor

In this powerful speech, author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek looks at what makes people want to follow in the paths of others, be it in the political world or the business world. He asserts that the big question behind the motivation of accomplished people is not what they do or how they do it but rather why they do it. This talk will give you the inspiration you need for your own ventures and help you on the way to achieving your goals.