Life Kit: Money

Sometimes, the best solutions to complex problems are simple. But simple doesn't always mean easy. This hour, TED speakers describe the innovation and hard work that goes into achieving simplicity. Guests include designer Mileha Soneji, chef Sam Kass, sleep researcher Wendy Troxel, public health advocate Myriam Sidibe, and engineer Amos Winter.

Art can evoke powerful feelings. But can it do more? This hour, TED speakers share ideas on the transformative nature of art and its ability to shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Guests include painter and sculptor Titus Kaphar, painters Dre Urhahn and eL Seed, textile artist Magda Sayeg, and conductor Benjamin Zander.

Humans need food, sleep, safety, love, purpose. Psychologist Abraham Maslow ordered our needs into a hierarchy. This week, TED speakers explore that spectrum of need, from primal to profound. Guests include psychologist Margie Lachman, neuroscientist Russell Foster, computer security expert Bruce Schneier, journalist Sebastian Junger, activist Caroline Casey, and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. (Original broadcast date: April 17, 2015)

We're living in a time of intense ideological division, and it often feels impossible to bridge the gap. But can we afford not to? This hour, TED speakers explore how to communicate across the divide. Guests include social media activist Megan Phelps-Roper, social psychologist Robb Willer, former Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, public radio host Celeste Headlee, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

Does something serious happen when we play? In this episode, TED speakers describe how all forms of amusement — tossing a ball to video games — can make us smarter, saner and more collaborative. Guests include psychologist Jeffrey Mogil, comedian Charlie Todd, psychiatrist Stuart Brown, primatologist Isabel Behncke Izquierdo and game designer Jane McGonigal. (Original broadcast date: March 27, 2015)

We think we're the ones who control what we see, read, think — and remember. But is that true? Who decides? And who should decide? This hour, TED speakers reveal just how easily we can be manipulated. Guests include design ethicist Tristan Harris, MSNBC host Ali Velshi, psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, and neuroscientist Steve Ramirez.

Even the most seemingly chaotic systems have some order to them. This episode, TED speakers explore the inner architecture of living systems, from ant colonies to corporations to social movements. Guests include biology professor Deborah Gordon, community organizer Morgan O'Neill, professor Zeynep Tufekci, business leader Ricardo Semler, and author Bruce Feiler. (Original broadcast date: April 24, 2015)

We often think that scientific research is reserved for PhDs and other experts. But now that's changing. This hour, TED speakers on how ordinary citizens are helping make groundbreaking discoveries. Guests include tech entrepreneur Joi Ito, biomedical researcher Sharon Terry, astronomer Tabetha Boyajian, and journalist Mary Ellen Hannibal.

Failure can be devastating, but it can also make us stronger and smarter. This week, TED speakers explore how failure clears the way for success, in our everyday work, and our innermost lives. Guests include entrepreneur Astro Teller, economist Tim Harford, business leader Casey Gerald, and writer Lidia Yuknavitch. (Original broadcast date: July 29, 2016)

From data collection to gene editing to AI, what we once considered science fiction is now becoming reality. This hour, TED speakers explore the future consequences of our present actions. Guests include designer Anab Jain, futurist Juan Enriquez, biologist Paul Knoepfler, and neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris.