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Big Think
By bigthinkEducation
Big Think episodes
- Become stronger: Jumpstart your anti-fragile systems | Tal Ben-Shahar: Full Interview
"There's research showing that people who are curious, who ask questions, are not just happier, they're not just more successful, they also live longer.”
Success, status, and achievements promise to deliver happiness, but often come up empty when realized. Tal Ben-Shahar’s own experience with this personal dissatisfaction drove him to study the science and philosophy of wellbeing.Ben-Shahar outlines how anti-fragility and post-traumatic growth reframe hardship as opportunity and how happiness can be found through connection, purpose, and clarity instead.00:00:00 Happiness studies00:00:20 The paradox of chasing happiness00:00:56 Two questions about happiness00:02:39 The science of happiness in difficult times00:03:41 Why isn’t there a field that studies happiness?00:06:57 What is anti-fragility?00:08:24 PTSD vs PTG00:14:25 SPIRE: the 5 dimensions of well-being00:15:23 Why not include financial wellness in SPIRE?00:16:19 Exercising your spirit, body, and mind00:17:17 3 archetypes of work00:24:26 Physical wellbeing and the mind-body connection00:27:09 3 levels of recovery00:32:20 Time off and wellness00:37:10 Curiosity and engaging deeply with others00:40:37 The importance of relational and emotional health00:41:06 The #1 condition to increase anti-fragility: The quality of our relationships00:46:31 Generosity in connections00:47:49 Sustainable generosity00:48:21 Is the pursuit of happiness selfish?00:51:13 The 2 kinds of people who do not experience difficult emotions00:52:44 The importance of gratitude55:37 Gratitude and growth00:57:47 Learning to fail----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Tal Ben-Shahar:Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is an internationally renowned teacher and author in the fields of happiness and leadership. After graduating from Harvard with a BA in Philosophy and Psychology and a PhD in Organizational Behavior, Tal taught two of the most popular courses in Harvard’s history: Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership. He then taught Happiness Studies at Columbia University. A prolific writer, Tal's books have appeared on best-sellers lists around the world and have been translated into more than 30 languages.Tal Ben-Shahar consults and lectures to executives in multinational corporations, educational institutions, and the general public. Topics include leadership, education, ethics, happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting and mindfulness.Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is the co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy, as well as the creator and instructor of the Certificate in Happiness Studies and the Happier School programs.Tal is an avid sportsman and a certified yoga instructor whose work bridges Eastern and Western traditions, ancient wisdom and modern technology, science and art.--------------------
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1 hr 10 min - How humans evolved music | Michael Spitzer
**🎵 The Cosmic Joke of Human Music: Are We the Least Musical Animals?**
Despite our rich symphonies and emotional ballads, humans may be *the least* naturally musical species. Unlike birds that *creatively learn new songs* and insects that *pulse in perfect rhythm*, our ape ancestors lacked musicality. So how did we end up here—singing, dancing, composing?
🎼 Music wasn’t inherited. It was reinvented.
Humans, through evolution—bipedalism, brain growth, vocal range—built music from scratch. Rhythm came from walking upright. Emotion came from mirror neurons. Our oversized brains made room for play, nuance, and infinite sound-making. Where animals sing for function, humans began to sing for *pleasure*.
🌌 Even NASA’s Golden Record—a mixtape for aliens—poses the question:
Can you hear *humanity* in Bach, Chuck Berry, or gamelan?
Maybe. Because human music, though crafted, echoes the animal world. It repeats in layers like birdsong. It evokes danger like a predator’s growl. But it also does what no animal music can—it expresses *who we are*.
💔 Music became our emotional fingerprint, more precise than words, more primal than speech. We mirror sadness in melody, feel danger in dissonance, and discover identity in rhythm.
And yet... Humans have always felt a quiet envy toward the birds.
Their song is natural.
Ours is *manufactured magic*.
But perhaps that's what makes it so beautifully human.
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13 min - Harvard professor debunks the ‘10,000 steps per day’ myth | Daniel Lieberman
Did you know treadmills were invented as prison torture machines? Modern exercise is confusing. Harvard professor Dan Lieberman sets it straight.
Today, most of us tend to medicalize exercise, turning it into something that we “have” to do. Case in point: the treadmill. If our main goal was enjoyment, there’s no way we’d regularly spend 45 minutes walking in place on these expensive machines.But our relationship with exercise — or, more generally, physical activity — was not always so discrete and joyless. For much of human history, people got plenty of physical activity by not only walking long distances, but also by doing activities that were both necessary and socially rewarding, like hunting, dancing, and sports.Harvard biologist Daniel Lieberman argues it’s time to rethink our relationship with exercise, and to understand physical activity as a complex and integral part of human evolution. After all, while walking thousands of steps through the environment to find our next meal was a major part of our evolution, walking on the treadmill was not.0:00 Treadmill torture (really)
1:54 Exercise vs physical activity2:40 Why exercise stresses us out3:12 “Medicalizing” exercise3:48 The 10,000 steps myth5:02 Warrior origins of exercise6:12 Aggression: Proactive vs. Reactive7:15 The anthropological view----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Daniel Lieberman:Daniel Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He received degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, and taught at Rutgers University and George Washington University before joining Harvard University as a Professor in 2001. He is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lieberman loves teaching and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, many in journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS, as well as three popular books, The Evolution of the Human Head (2011), The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease (2013), and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding (2020).-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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13 min - 9 tactics to build a stronger mind | Lisa Genova
Stress shrinks your brain. Neuroscientist Lisa Genova explains how to strengthen it.
It may not feel like it when you can't find your phone or "lose" your sunglasses sitting atop your head, but your memory is an amazing ability -- and one we want to protect. So it's little wonder that any blips or blank spaces can send us spiraling into concern.Some recall issues here and there are normal, says neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova, and not every lapse means looming problems. (And don't worry, forgetting names is a surprisingly tough thing for our brains to do!) But, Genova says, there's ways we can improve our memory, increase resilience and recall and be more comfortable with ourselves and our minds.From making lists and getting Google's help to giving yourself a pop quiz, getting some meditation in, and just plain paying attention, these tips will have your steel trap gleaming.Chapters:
0:00 Introducing the problem
1:19 #1: Practice paying attention1:45: #2: Bulk up your hippocampus3:18 A 9-second meditation you can try3:59 #3 Secure your sleep5:14 #4 Drink caffeine5:36 #5 Create associations (the Baker-Baker Paradox)6:36 #6 Repetition7:14 #7 Write it down8:03 #8 Self-testing8:31 #9 Just Google it9:14 Forgetting is human----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Lisa Genova:Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Every Note Played. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and NPR. Her TED talk, “What You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s,” has been viewed more than five million times. The New York Times bestseller REMEMBER is her first work of nonfiction.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-19
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15 min - Debate world champion explains how to argue | Bo Seo
Bo Seo, Harvard’s former debate coach, explains a good argument.
If our ancestors could see modern society, odds are they would be impressed with our technology and horrified with how we use it — particularly when it comes to debate.Debate is crucial to a healthy society. After all, having productive debates is how people have learned, resolved conflicts, and generated new solutions for thousands of years. In Ancient Greece, it was even considered a kind of civic duty to be able to persuasively argue your point about the various issues of the day.There are plenty of skilled rhetoricians around today. But as two-time world debate champion Bo Seo told Big Think, it has become rare to see thoughtful, productive, and smart debates broadcast on a large scale to the general public. We more often encounter short video clips or tweets featuring people whose main goal is to “win” the argument instead of trying to understand and refute the opposing side’s ideas in good faith.A major part of the problem is that we have outsourced our debates to avatars we see in media: politicians, pundits, and celebrities.So, can we develop better models of disagreement to help us become better debaters? Seo thinks the answer is yes, and that the process starts with polishing our skills offline.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Bo Seo:Bo Seo is a two-time world champion debater and a former coach of the Australian national debating team and the Harvard College Debating Union. One of the most recognized figures in the global debate community, he has won both the World Schools Debating Championship and the World Universities Debating Championship. Bo has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, and many other publications. He has worked as a national reporter for the Australian Financial Review and has been a regular panelist on the prime time Australian debate program, The Drum. Bo graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University and received a master’s degree in public policy from Tsinghua University. He is currently a student at Harvard Law School.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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9 min - How to stop your secrets from hurting your mental health | Michael Slepian
Columbia professor Michael Slepian collected thousands of secrets. They all had 3 things in common.
How many secrets are you holding right now? If the answer is around 13, you're about average, according to research on the nature of secrets.Secrets aren't all bad. Some are rather trivial. But sometimes, keeping secrets can weigh us down and cause psychological distress.Michael Slepian, an associate professor at Columbia Business School, has spent years studying the nature of secrets, why we hold them, and which kinds of secrets people tend to deem the most serious.As Slepian explains in this Big Think video, his research has revealed that secrets can generally be sorted into three domains. Gaining a better understanding of your secrets can help you improve your well-being.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Michael Slepian:Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. He previously was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and received his Ph.D. From Tufts University. He is an elected fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, has received the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, and received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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9 min - The real risks of psychedelics, explained by an expert | Dr. Matthew Johnson
The real risks of psychedelics, explained by Johns Hopkins professor Dr. Matthew Johnson.
A pattern emerges when you compare the harmfulness of different types of psychoactive drugs: alcohol and hard drugs like heroin and crack cocaine rank as the most harmful, while psychedelic substances like psilocybin and LSD score as the least harmful.It’s perhaps not too surprising. After all, psychedelic substances are generally non-toxic and medically safe to consume. The drugs do not come with the same kind of overdose risks that substances like alcohol and heroin do.Still, psychedelics can have profound effects on the psyche. Bad trips are a real phenomenon. But bad trips are sometimes the result of an interplay between the drugs and the user’s environment. As explained by Dr. Matthew W. Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, the conditions under which someone experiences psychedelics can significantly influence the trip — for the worse or the better.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Matthew Johnson:Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., is The Susan Hill Ward Endowed Professor of Psychedelics and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins. Working with psychedelics since 2004, he is one of the world’s most widely published experts on psychedelics. He has published research on psychedelics and mystical experience, personality change, tobacco smoking cessation, cancer distress treatment, and depression treatment. In 2021 he received as principal investigator the first grant in 50 years from the US government for a treatment study with a classic psychedelic, specifically psilocybin in treatment of tobacco addiction. He is also known for his expertise in behavioral economics, addiction, sexual risk behavior, and research with a wide variety of drug classes. He’s been Interviewed by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Fox News, Fox Business News, BBC and in Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 min - Psychologist debunks 8 myths of mass scale | Todd Rose
Psychologist Todd Rose debunks 8 myths so mainstream we all believe them.
Collective illusions — false assumptions about society that many people share — have existed for thousands of years in many different ways. Today, because of social media and modern technology, they have become even more common.One example of a collective illusion is the commonly held belief that everyone wants fame, wealth, and power. That’s not true. Most of us want lives of purpose and meaning. But because of false assumptions, many of us spend our lives chasing things that won’t fulfill us.Another example of a collective illusion is the pervasive idea that the U.S. Is an irredeemably divided nation. Sure, Americans have plenty of disagreements. But fundamentally, they have more in common than they might think.As former Harvard professor and bestselling author Todd Rose explains, the antidote to collective illusions is becoming a more authentic individual, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of how our innate drive to conform to social norms often works against that.0:00 What is a “collective illusion”?2:43 How myths invade private opinion4:54 Myth: Other people can’t be trusted8:32 Myth: Success is wealth, status, and power11:12 Myth: Social media reveals what society thinks13:56: Myth: Group consensus is vetted and factual17:53: Myth: Elite jobs matter to us21:11 Myth: America is on the verge of civil war24:18 Myth: People want university degrees26:57 Myth: Cultural norms exist to protect you----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Todd Rose:Todd Rose is the co-founder and president of Populace, a think tank committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to pursue fulfilling lives in a thriving society. Prior to Populace, he was a faculty member at Harvard University where he founded the Laboratory for the Science of Individuality and directed the Mind, Brain, and Education program. Todd is the best selling author of Collective Illusions, Dark Horse, and The End of Average. He lives in Burlington, Massachusetts.-----------------------------------------------06:30-17Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
39 min - The Multiverse is real. Just not in the way you think it is. | Sean Carroll
What do physicists actually mean when they talk about the Multiverse? Sean Carroll explains.
The Multiverse is having a moment. From “Rick and Morty” to Marvel movies, the idea that our Universe is just one of many has inspired countless storylines in recent popular culture.Why is the Multiverse so compelling? To theoretical physicist and philosopher Sean Carroll, one reason is that we’re drawn to wondering how things might have turned out differently. What if you had chosen a different career path? Married someone else? Moved to a different city?Of course, there’s obviously no guarantee that you’re living out those alternate timelines in a different universe. But there are real scientific reasons to think that the Multiverse exists. And as Carroll explains, that possibility comes with some fascinating philosophical implications.Chapters:
0:00 Hollywood’s Multiverse1:35 Physics’ Multiverse: Cosmology vs. Many Worlds3:28 The Many Worlds theory4:25 Are there many versions of you?6:39 Your alternate lives8:09 Your one life in our Universe----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Sean Carroll:Dr. Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy — in effect, a joint appointment between physics and philosophy — at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and fractal faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Most of his career has been spent doing research on cosmology, field theory, and gravitation, looking at topics such as dark matter and dark energy, modified gravity, topological defects, extra dimensions, and violations of fundamental symmetries. These days, his focus has shifted to more foundational questions, both in quantum mechanics (origin of probability, emergence of space and time) and statistical mechanics (entropy and the arrow of time, emergence and causation, dynamics of complexity), bringing a more philosophical dimension to his work.---------------------------------------06:30-17Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 min - What the news won't tell you about climate change | Hannah Ritchie, PhD
**🌍 Feeling hopeless about climate change? You're not alone — but the data tells a more hopeful story.**
Oxford researcher Hannah Ritchie was once overwhelmed too. But by zooming out and studying centuries of progress, she discovered something remarkable: humanity *has* solved massive environmental problems before — and we can do it again.
She breaks climate change down into four critical battlegrounds: **energy, transport, food, and construction**. The good news? We already have the tools — solar and wind are now cheaper than coal, EVs are surpassing gas cars in sales, and we can cut land use and emissions by rethinking how we farm and eat. Even cement, a notoriously dirty material, is seeing exciting innovations.
But this isn't blind optimism. It's what she calls **"urgent optimism"** — knowing that change is possible, but only if we fight for it.
🔥 We’ve passed the tipping point on some trends — the rest is up to us.
👉 *Ready to see how technology, policy, and people power can rewrite our future?*
Timestamps:
0:00 - An ‘insurmountable’ problem?
1:10 - 4 key targets to solve climate change
04:27 - How we reduce our emissions
09:36 - Being an ‘urgent optimist’
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Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life.
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