Journalist Rafi Kohan says talking trash can do more than spice up a sport. His latest book, Trash Talk: The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn’t Total Garbage, is a fascinating look at the art and history of competitive insults. From women's basketball to the Olympics to the TED stage, Adam and Rafi dissect the mind games that fuel performance — and dive into the science of why a little banter can go a long way.

Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts

ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

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