Alison Ledgerwood joined the Department of Psychology at UC Davis in 2008 after completing her PhD in social psychology at New York University. She is interested in understanding how people think, and how they can think better. Her research, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, investigates how certain ways of thinking about an issue tend to stick in people's heads.
Read MoreCarol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.
Read More"Life comes at us very quickly, and what we need to do is take that amorphous flow of experience and somehow extract meaning from it." In this funny, enlightening talk, educational psychologist Peter Doolittle details the importance -- and limitations -- of your "working memory," that part of the brain that allows us to make sense of what's happening right now.
Read MoreWhat's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your mood and memory -- and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Read MoreAttention isn't just about what we focus on -- it's also about what our brains filter out. By investigating patterns in the brain as people try to focus, computational neuroscientist Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar hopes to build computer models that can be used to treat ADHD and help those who have lost the ability to communicate. Hear more about this exciting science in this brief, fascinating talk.
Read MoreIn our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening -- to other people and the world around you.
Read MoreIdriz is passionate about teaching others how to improve their memories and believes that with the right practice, almost everyone can get a super-memory.
Read MoreAs a teenager, Ricardo Lieuw On was packing groceries when he knew what he wanted to study: he wanted to learn about learning. He picked up a study in psychology and learned how to reduce his learning time from 3 hours to 1 hour on the same piece of content. He gained the same knowledge in 200% less time. And specially for TEDxHaarlem, he shares the secret of his technique.
Read MoreDr. Crum says the biggest game changer is “YOU, by harnessing the power of your mind." She explores scientific results that show the influence of the mindset on the body, and how changing the subjective mindset produced different outcomes. Dr. Crum's work is inspired in part by the placebo effect, and has implications that stretch far beyond the realm of medicine.
Read MoreWhat 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.
Read MoreWhy are humans so slow to react to looming crises, like a forewarned pandemic or a warming planet? It's because we're reluctant to rethink, say organizational psychologist Adam Grant.
Read MoreHave you ever misplaced something you were just holding? Completely blanked on a famous actor's name? Walked into a room and immediately forgot why? Neuroscientist Lisa Genova digs into two types of memory failures we regularly experience -- and reassures us that forgetting is totally normal.
Read MoreThere are people who can quickly memorize lists of thousands of numbers, the order of all the cards in a deck (or ten!), and much more. Science writer Joshua Foer describes the technique – called the memory palace – and shows off its most remarkable feature: anyone can learn how to use it, including him.
Read MoreThe latest research is clear: the state of our attention determines the state of our lives. So how do we harness our attention to focus deeper, get distracted less, and even become more creative? Chris Bailey, author of the recent book Hyperfocus, talks about how our ability to focus is the key to productivity, creativity, and living a meaningful life.
Read MoreFaced with overwhelming amounts of information and an increasing need to multitask, how can our brains focus on important tasks and avoid distractions? Cognitive neuroscience researcher Dr. Marvin Myungwoo Chun discusses why some people more attentive than others, allowing them to perform better at school, sports, and in the workplace. He also reveals the difference in our brains that explain superior performance, and gives tips on how to enhance our focus.
Read MoreHow do you bring out the best in yourself? According to Christina Bengtsson – Swedish world champion in precision shooting – the answer lies in the word “focus”. It is a phenomenon she has spent her whole career exploring and she warns us that part of the next generation may not possess this ability.
Read MoreWhen is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.)
Read MoreYou’re doing everything right at work, talking all the right advice, but you’re just not moving up. Why?
Read MoreElizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses – and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal, and surprisingly moving talk.
Read MoreSimon Sinek presents a simple but powerful model for how leaders inspire action, starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers -- and as a counterpoint Tivo, which (until a recent court victory that tripled its stock price) appeared to be struggling.
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