TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why is being scared so fun? - Margee Kerr
At this very moment, people are lining up somewhere to scare themselves, be it with a thrill-ride or a horror movie. In fact, in October of 2015 alone, about 28 million people visited a haunted house in the US. But you might wonder: What...
TED Talks
TED: Why you should talk to strangers | Kio Stark
When you talk to strangers, you're making beautiful interruptions into the expected narrative of your daily life -- and theirs, says Kio Stark. In this delightful talk, Stark explores the overlooked benefits of pushing past our default...
TED Talks
TED: Why some people are more altruistic than others | Abigail Marsh
Why do some people do selfless things, helping other people even at risk to their own well-being? Psychology researcher Abigail Marsh studies the motivations of people who do extremely altruistic acts, like donating a kidney to a...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Where do superstitions come from? - Stuart Vyse
Are you afraid of black cats? Would you open an umbrella indoors? How do you feel about the number 13? Whether or not you believe in them, you're probably familiar with a few of these superstitions. But where did they come from? Stuart...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How people rationalize fraud - Kelly Richmond Pope
If you ask people whether they think stealing is wrong, most of them would answer yes. And yet, in 2013, organizations all over the world lost an estimated total of $3.7 trillion to fraud. Kelly Richmond Pope explains how the fraud...
SciShow
Do Personality Tests Mean Anything?
Like most quizzes on the internet, personality tests aren't what you would call "reliable."
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Inside the minds of animals - Bryan B Rasmussen
Do animals think? It's a question that has intrigued scientists for thousands of years, inspiring them to come up with different methods and criteria to measure the intelligence of animals. Bryan B Rasmussen navigates through this...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Debunking the myths of OCD - Natascha M. Santos
There's a common misconception that if you like to meticulously organize your things, keep your hands clean, or plan out your weekend to the last detail, you might be OCD. In fact, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is a serious...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Historical role models - Amy Bissetta
Many notable American historical figures are considered role models -- but why? George Washington was devilishly smart, and Abraham Lincoln was a brave leader, but have you heard of Sybil Ludington or Beriah Green? Amy Bissetta expounds...
SciShow
Identity Politics: How All Your Identities Sway Your Vote
People throw out the term "identity politics" as a way to say that someone is wrong, but the truth is, it's something that affects the way all of us vote.
SciShow
The Problem With Those 9 Personality Types
The Enneagram, like many personality tests, isn't well backed-up by scientific research, but its popularity in spite of that can give us a window into how the human mind works.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? - Maryam Alimardani
Our bodies _ the physical, biological parts of us - and our minds - the thinking, conscious aspects - have a complicated, tangled relationship. Which one primarily defines you or your self? Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a...
SciShow
Can You Really Change Your Personality?
Your personality is often treated as an immutable part of who you are, but while changing it is difficult, it’s certainly not impossible.
TED Talks
George Blair-West: 3 ways to build a happy marriage and avoid divorce
Choosing to marry and share your life with someone is one of the most important decisions you can make in life. But with divorce rates approaching fifty percent in some parts of the world, it's clear we could use some help picking a...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 3 tips to boost your confidence
When faced with a big challenge where potential failure seems to lurk at every corner, you’ve probably heard the advice, “Be more confident!” But where does confidence come from, and how can you get more of it? Here are three easy tips...
SciShow
Does Birth Order Affect Your Personality?
I bet you've heard about the birth order cliche: The oldest child is responsible, the middle one is a rebel, and the youngest is spoiled. This stereotype might apply to you and your siblings, but is it universal?
SciShow
Victorian Pseudosciences: Brain Personality Maps
in 19th-century England, scientists were figuring out that certain parts of our brains were connected with certain parts of our bodies- but they came up with some terrible and misleading ideas that spread without rigorous scientific...
SciShow
Are You Doomed to Turn into Your Parents?
Worried about turning into your parents? Hank unpacks the connection between personality, genetics, and upbringing. Ultimately, though, you are your own person.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why incompetent people think they're amazing - David Dunning
How good are you with money? What about reading people's emotions? How healthy are you, compared to other people you know? Knowing how our skills stack up against others is useful in many ways. But psychological research suggests that...
TED Talks
TED: Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality | Brian Little
What makes you, you? Psychologists like to talk about our traits, or defined characteristics that make us who we are. But Brian Little is more interested in moments when we transcend those traits -- sometimes because our culture demands...
TED Talks
TED: There's no shame in taking care of your mental health | Sangu Delle
When stress got to be too much for TED Fellow Sangu Delle, he had to confront his own deep prejudice: that men shouldn't take care of their mental health. In a personal talk, Delle shares how he learned to handle anxiety in a society...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The psychology of narcissism - W. Keith Campbell
Narcissism isn't just a personality type that shows up in advice columns; it's actually a set of traits classified and studied by psychologists. But what causes it? And can narcissists improve on their negative traits? W. Keith Campbell...
TED Talks
TED: My love letter to cosplay | Adam Savage
Adam Savage makes things and builds experiments, and he uses costumes to add humor, color and clarity to the stories he tells. Tracing his lifelong love of costumes -- from a childhood space helmet made of an ice cream tub to a No-Face...