February 28 - March 4, 2011
February 28 - March 4, 2011
A TED Blog premiere video: At this year’s TEDActive, in Palm Springs, engineer Bruno Bowden tells the amazing story of NORAD’s quest to track Santa — and how Bruno’s employer now continues the quest:
Read more on the official Google Blog >>
(This year’s countdown begins Dec. 24 at 2am Eastern.)
Every morning we wake up and regain consciousness — that is a marvelous fact — but what exactly is it that we regain? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio uses this simple question to give us a glimpse into how our brains create our sense of self. (Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 18:43)
Watch Antonio Damasio’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche come from Moto, a Chicago restaurant that plays with new ways to cook and eat food. But beyond the fun and flavor-tripping, there’s a serious intent: Can we use new food technology for good? (Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 9:34)
Watch Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
How can something as simple as a smile be so deceptively complex? That’s the mystery and magic explored in Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act, a new TED Book by Ron Gutman about the sensation and science of the smile. From the broad beaming grin of a toddler to the oily smirk of a used car salesman, smiles convey an enormous range and depth of emotions. Grins also have radically varied meanings in different cultures, as the author learned during his many worldwide trips to explore the complicated but ubiquitous act of smiling. We recently spoke with Gutman about his book.
Why is smiling so important?
Smiling is central to what makes us human. We’re the only species that smiles, and we do it from birth. It has an immense impact on how we feel, because smiling triggers our biological pleasure receptors. It also positively impacts how others see and perceive us, and can be a powerful way to improve social situations. Best of all, smiling is important because it’s natural, always available, and easy.
How long have people been researching the act of smiling?
In the book I mention a French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne, whose research in the mid 1800′s was focused on the different types of facial expressions, including smiles. Duchenne created an extensive catalogue of smiles and other facial expressions, but found one in an entirely different class from all the others. He called it the “genuine” smile—the smile that arrives spontaneously and reflects pure delight. Duchenne also inspired Charles Darwin to conduct research into smiling. Darwin detailed the early smiling behavior of his own children and wrote the facial feedback response theory, which noted that facial expression intensified emotion, and the suppression of facial expression lessened emotional response.
You’ve traveled the world quite a bit talking about this. Have you discovered cultural differences in relation to smiling?
When you are in a new place, where you don’t speak the language and don’t have a knowledge of the cultures and customs, you’re left with what’s universal and what transcends the things that make us different. Smiling is one of those great unifiers. Still, it’s still subject to regional norms. Different cultures are more or less accepting of smiles in different situations. For example, in the United States, smiling at strangers is commonplace. In some other countries, however, smiling at a stranger might arouse suspicion. But, generally, we’re all likely to smile for the same reasons: we’re happy.
Does a smile have to be real to be effective? The nervous counterfeit smile of Miss America, for instance, seems to go a long way.
Smiles are highly effective in activating the reward mechanisms of our brains, so even forced smiles, the so-called “social” smile, can be effective at communicating. But they don’t offer the truly great effects that genuine smiles. The full spectrum of the benefits of smiling are found in real, genuine, big smiles. These are the ones that make us feel great inside, and make others around us smile. They make us look not just friendly in the eyes of others, but also competent. As studies examining the health and well-being benefits of smiles show, the real benefits are reserved for real smiles.
Can someone smile too much? I’m thinking of the creepy smirk of a used-car salesman.
There’s no such a thing as too much genuine smiling. The beautiful thing about smiles is that we are hardwired to detect smiles that are genuine and smiles that aren’t. We know that we can trust genuine smiles, but we don’t have the same feelings about fake smiles. There’s a bunch of research that I’m mentioning in the book that shows how we detect the authenticity of smiles, and they’re mostly based on mimicking the smiler to experience the same feelings and emotions she/he does. So smile much, smile often, and smile genuinely.
Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act is part of the TED Books series, which is available for the Kindle and Nook as well as on Apple’s iBookstore.
Damon Horowitz teaches philosophy through the Prison University Project, bringing college-level classes to inmates of San Quentin State Prison. In this powerful short talk, he tells the story of an encounter with right and wrong that quickly gets personal. (Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 3:51.)
Watch Damon Horowitz’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
With scissors and paper, artist Béatrice Coron creates intricate worlds, cities and countries, heavens and hells. Striding onstage in a glorious cape cut from Tyvek, she describes her creative process and the way her stories develop from snips and slices. (Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 18:16.)
Watch Béatrice Coron’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
Writer and designer Graham Hill asks: Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life. (Recorded at TED University during TED2011, February 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 5:50.)
Watch Graham Hill’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
Browse the amazing design entries in Graham’s Life Edited contest on TreeHugger >>
Studies show that sketching and doodling improve our comprehension — and our creative thinking. So why do we still feel embarrassed when we’re caught doodling in a meeting? Sunni Brown says: Doodlers, unite! She makes the case for unlocking your brain via pad and pen. (Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 5:51.)
Watch Sunni Brown’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
For the past 2 weeks, TED Prize winner JR was in Israel and Palestine on what he termed his “biggest action” yet for the Inside Out Project.
For this action, called “Time is Now, Yalla!”, the Inside Out team took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem & beyond. Giant photobooths (including a mobile truck) were erected to bring the printing to the people. Everyone could to take their own portraits and share what they stood for by immediately pasting their posters in the streets. Taking place at an historically poignant time, these pastings were true community events; people of all ages and backgrounds came celebrate their stories together.
The response to the project was nothing short of inspiring. With a strong visual statement of the desires of people on both sides, thousands made their voices heard and added themselves to the global tapestry of over 40,000 “Inside Out faces.”
After the core Inside Out team left, the project continued for the next week thanks to some impassioned volunteers in the region.
For more information on this action, visit our photobooth page >>
To get your community involved in Inside Out visit our site >>
– Casson Rosenblatt
Artist Kate Hartman uses wearable electronics to explore how we communicate, with ourselves and with the world. In this quirky and thought-proviking talk she shows the “Talk To Yourself Hat”, the “Inflatable Heart”, the “Glacier Embracing Suit”, and other unexpected devices. (Recorded at TED 2011, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 9:06.)
Watch Kate Hartman’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.