The Art of Being Human

Less stuff, more happiness; we don't move on from grief, we move forward with it; the secret student resistance to Hitler; the beauty of being a misfit; say your truths and seek them in others.

Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn't make sense, but he's never been able to shake it. He takes us on a journey and encourages us to think harder about what we're really procrastinating on.

What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken.

Featuring "The Art of Paying Attention"; "The (De)colonizing of Beauty"; "A Day in the Life of an Ancient Egyptian Doctor"; "What Gardening Taught Me About Life"; "Why Do I Make Art? To Build Time Capsules for My Heritage."

Rock climber Alex Honnold tells the hair-raising story of how he summited Yosemite's El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical cliff, completing one of the most dangerous free solo climbs ever.

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think.

Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz's estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.

Your 20s are not a throwaway decade. Clinical psychologist Meg Jay gives 3 pieces of advice for how twentysomethings can re-claim adulthood in the defining decade of their lives.

Sleep scientist Matt Walker shares the wonderfully good things that happen when you get sleep -- and the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don't, for both your brain and body.

Psychologist Guy Winch reveals how recovering from heartbreak starts with a determination to fight our instincts to search for answers that aren't there -- and offers a toolkit on how to move on.

Don't make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and fan.

Are children poor liars? Do you think you can easily detect their lies? Developmental researcher Kang Lee studies what happens physiologically to children when they lie.

Too many of us deal with common psychological-health issues on our own, says Guy Winch. But we don't have to. He makes a compelling case to practice emotional hygiene.

Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Sound expert Julian Treasure demonstrates the how-to's of powerful speaking.

Psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: our actions, careers, relationships, health and happiness.

What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment.

In every workplace, there are three basic kinds of people: givers, takers and matchers. Adam Grant breaks down these personalities and offers simple strategies to promote a culture of generosity.

The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude.

Are you a soldier, prone to defending your viewpoint at all costs -- or a scout, spurred by curiosity? Julia Galef examines these two mindsets and how they shape the way we interpret information.

Writer Andrew Solomon has spent his career telling stories of the hardships of others. Now he turns inward, bringing us into a childhood of adversity.

What motivates us to work? Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn't just money. Dan Ariely presents two eye-opening experiments that reveal our unexpected attitudes toward meaning in our work.

Our leaders and institutions are failing us, but it's not always because they're bad or unethical, says John Doerr -- often, it's simply because they're leading us toward the wrong objectives.

Stung by jellyfish, choking on salt water, hallucinating … Diana Nyad just kept on swimming. And that's how she finally finished an extreme 100-mile swim from Cuba to Florida -- at age 64.

Martin Seligman talks about psychology -- as a field of study and as it works one-on-one with each patient and each practitioner. As it moves beyond a focus on disease, what can modern psychology help us to become?

Hans Rosling, with his famous charts of global population, health and income data, demonstrates that you have a high statistical chance of being wrong about what you think you know about the world.

What happens when a dream you've held since childhood ... doesn't come true? Lisa Bu shares her unique approach to reading in this lovely, personal talk about the magic of books.

We have all changed someone's life -- usually without even realizing it. In this funny talk, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other's lives.

Most of us will do anything to avoid being wrong. But what if we're wrong about that? "Wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz makes a compelling case for not just admitting but embracing our fallibility.

Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, the definition of feminism -- and, of course, passion -- in this talk.

Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb shows how to break free from the stories you've been telling yourself by becoming your own editor and rewriting your narrative from a different point of view.

The longtime coach of the UCLA women's gymnastics team Valorie Kondos Field shares the secret to her success. Hint: it has nothing to do with "winning."