If you don't already know, Ted Talks are powerful talks by some of the worlds leading experts in spreading new ideas. Why should you care? As college students, we should always find the time to listen to new ideas in order to grow as global citizens. So sit back, relax and soak up some knowledge.
1. "Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling"
This one is for my friends in under the covers crying because you want to be a mathematician, an artisan floral crown maker, a writer and a candy scientist all at the same time. Congratulations, you are most likely a “multipotenialite.” What does this mean? Well, you are a part of a very influential group of people whose skills are valuable due to your idea synthesis, rapid learning, and adaptability. This 13-minute video will definitely encourage you to be yourself, whatever that means.
Best quote: “Embracing our inner wiring leads to a happier more authentic life.”
2. Monica Lewinsky: "The Price Of Shame"
After 10 years of silence, Lewinsky finally has started talking about her experience of being cyber bullied, before it was even defined, due to a mistake that she made as a 22-year-old woman. The Internet is now a forum that has lent itself to a considerable culture of humiliation for which the price of shame has gone up and will stay up forever. Regardless of how you feel about the whole Lewinsky debacle, you should watch. She speaks about a time in which her parents and loved ones once feared that Lewinsky might be humiliated to death while using her story to amplify the problem of online harassment.
Best quote: “Public shaming as a blood-sport has to stop.”
3. "We Should All Be Feminists"
There is a wealth of knowledge in this talk by the legendary Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (who you might recognize from the Beyoncé track “Flawless”) as she dives into the popular topic of feminism. She hits on many different topics as she navigates feminism from the way that boys are raised, how women are assumed to get money from a man, that feminism is considered as dirty as many vulgar four letter word, etc. It might be a whopping 30 minutes, but it is definitely.
Best quote: Everything.
4. "Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong"
Johann Hari wants to change how you think about addiction. Based on his research about the nature of addiction he presents his audience with several new perspectives on how to view addicts within society. He claims that addiction should actually be called bonding. He looks at the drug rehabilitation system in Portugal, which is extremely progressive and also the drug use/addiction of any kind is down.
Best quote: “What if addiction isn’t about your chemical hooks? What if addiction is about your cage?”
5. "How Do You Define Yourself?"
You decide what defines you. Sometimes it can be hard. Branded the world’s ugliest woman, Lizzie Velasquez found herself the victims of strangers comments which said “kill it with fire.” Lizzie opens up her talk with humor and closes her talk with tears in the eyes of the audience members. Now she is a motivational speaker who uses the negativity of others as a catalyst to achieve her goals.
Best quote: “I have really great hair.”
6. "Let’s Flip the Golden Rule"
Treat yourself the way you treat others. It really is amazing how you change the perception if you view the sometimes-hurtful inner voice. After an amazing spoken word piece, Lauren speaks about her former eating disorder and how she was finally able to get help. This is a definitely must watch for those who need a body positivity boost.
Best quote: "Our society has told use that loving yourself is not the way to live."
7. "The Happy Secret To Better Work"
Shawn Achor talks about the power of positive psychology. Instead of studying what is average, he studies what is above the curve in order to move the entire average of people up. Filled with delightful stories of Bobo the brother-in-law, Amy the Unicorn and Shawn’s own story about his time at Harvard. He says that we should change the way that we process the idea of happiness. This is definitely a must watch which will make most incredibly change your life for the better.
Best quote: “Amy, I think this means that you are a unicorn.”