TED Talks has garnered quite a loyal fan following due to the interesting, unique and helpful content that is discussed in each of their videos. So what is TED Talks? It is a non-profit organization that has a vast collection of short videos (20 minutes or less), that dole out inspirational life lessons. The video clips deal with all types of topics including activism and adventure to writing and the youth. TED Talks’ motto of “Ideas worth Spreading” is fitting to the insights and priceless nuggets of wisdom that their videos share.
In this article, Team HTV has shortlisted a set of 20 inspirational videos dedicated to health, wellness and lifestyle.
Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
As a social psychologist, Amy Cuddy is an expert at studying and analyzing body language. How we sit, stand and use our body to convey messages are all important aspects of her field of study. In this video she explains how humans judge and influence others through their body language, and how a simple change can affect our levels of stress and happiness.
John Wooden: The Difference Between Winning and Success
Former head coach of the University of California Los Angeles basketball team for 40 years, John Wooden has garnered an impressive wealth of knowledge on life lessons. In this video, he shares his advice on success and how to achieve it. He talks about discipline, leadership and hard work and how these qualities can be cultivated.
Derek Rivers: Keep Your Goals to Yourself
While many claim that sharing your personal goals can boost motivation, Derek Rivers explains that doing so might actually be counterproductive. Why? Because research claims that you will be less likely to achieve them. Listen to his scientifically backed claim to understand why.
Ben Saunders: Why Bother Leaving the House?
Ben Saunders is a polar explorer, and he wants you to step outside your home and experience the outdoors. He tells us that apps and routine gym workouts deprive us of the “meat of life.” While he’s not expecting you to join him on his next excursion of walking from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole, he might inspire you to enjoy the beauty of exercising outdoors for a change.
Matt Cuts: Try Something New for 30 Days
Matt Cuts is an engineer at Google and he’s always up for trying something new. In this video, he shares his experiences of trying something new for 30 days. Have you wanted to try yoga, kickboxing or golf? Go for it! According to Matt Cuts, 30 days is long enough to form a habit, but short enough to stop if you get sick of it.
David Blaine: How I Held My Breath for 17 Minutes
You might know David Blaine as the street magician who performs incredibly fascinating feats. In this video he describes what it took him to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes. He spares no details, delving deep into the obstacles, failures, fighting and pain that he had to go through to achieve his goal. NOTE: Do no try to perform his stunts.
Christopher McDougal: Are We Born to Run?
An expert anthropologist and author, Christopher McDougal explains the surprising ways our Paleolithic ancestors were helped by the ability to run. He reveals the mysteries of the human desire to run, and the importance of running.
Jamie Oliver: Teach Every Child About Food
An activist against obesity, Jamie Oliver shares fascinating anecdotes and explains why we need to be knowledgeable about the food we eat and feed to our children.
A.J Jacobs: How Healthy Living Nearly Killed Me
Through humor, writer A.J Jacobs shares his experience of following health advice to the letter. Although we still stand by the credibility of research based health information, this video reiterates our view that the key to everything in life is moderation.
Graham Hill: Why I’m a Weekday Vegetarian
Founder of TreeHugger.com, a site dedicated to green energy and sustainability, Graham Hill argues that you don’t need to be a strict vegetarian or a complete carnivore. The solution, he says, lies in being a weekday vegetarian.
Dan Buetner: How to Live to be 100+
A National Geographic writer and explorer, Dan Buetner travels to those parts of the world where people have been documented to live well past the average life span. He shares diet and lifestyle habits that you can implement to live to be 100+.Watch Video
Daniel Kraft: Medicine’s Future? There’s an App for That
Daniel Kraft is a physician-scientist, innovator and inventor. He explains how technology in healthcare can used for our personal benefit. He also talks about the use of powerful technological tools in diagnostics and data sharing.
Dean Omish: Healing Through Diet
Dean Omish, a clinical professor at University of California-San Francisco, explains that happiness and a healthy lifestyle are strong tools for transformation. Through natural and low cost programs you can lead a healthy life and heal your body naturally.
Meg Jay: Why 30 is Not the New 20
A clinical psychologist, Meg Jay has an important message for all the 20 something’s out there: Don’t waste this defining decade of your adult life. In this video, she’ll tell you how not to waste your 20s.
Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work
Shawn Achor is the CEO of Good Think Inc, where he focuses on positive psychology as a researcher and teacher. In this funny and entertaining video, he discusses why achieving happiness results in success.
Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability
Brene Brown studies vulnerability, courage, authenticity and shame. Through empathy and humor, she shares her research on the study of human connection and the power of embracing discomfort.
Dan Gilbert: The Surprising Science of Happiness
Dan Gilbert is a Harvard psychologist and the author of “Stumbling upon Happiness.” He challenges the pervasive idea that not getting what we want results in misery. In this video, he explains that we have the ability to experience synthetic happiness. When things don’t go the way we want them to in our lives, we can still find meaningful happiness. He argues that materialistic things such as money, a grand house or garage full of cars don’t actually guarantee happiness in the long run.
Nigel Marsh: How to Make Work-Life Balance Work
Nigel Marsh (Author of “Fat, Forty & Fired” and “Overworked and Underlaid”,) talks about the importance of finding a balance between personal, family and work responsibilities. He explains that happiness involves managing your physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
Stefan Sagmeister: The Power of Time Off
Stefan Sagmeister, a renowned graphic designer, is widely lauded for his album covers, posters and his recent book on life lessons. He explains the importance of taking some time off to spark your creativity and to enhance every aspect of your life.
Paul Zakk: Trust, Morality… And Oxytocin?
Neuro-economist Paul Zakk explains how oxytocin (a neurological hormone) plays a role in developing and sustaining trust, empathy and other social behaviors.
Matt Killingsworth: Want to be Happier? Stay in the Moment
Researcher Matt Killingsworth designs studies that gather data on happiness. His app, Track Your Happiness, allows people to report their feelings in real time as well as whether they were thinking about the past, the present or the future. Based on his research, he learned that dwelling on the past or future makes people prone to unhappiness. He suggests that we should embrace the present and learn to live in the here and now.
A Wealth of Information: Just A Click Away
Look to these videos for inspiration to lead a healthy and happy life. You can also browse through the numerous other videos on www.ted.com related to topics that interest you. You might just find a video that inspires you to be more charitable or one that encourages you to pursue your dream to sky dive.
If you like what you find on TED, you can download the TED app on your phone or tablet. This website is a goldmine of inspiration, so if you find something that is worthy of being shared with the HTV community, go ahead and post it in the comments section. Have fun and get inspired!
