logo
episode-header-image
Sep 20
16m 4s

(#2) Elise’s Top Ten: You don't actually...

TED
About this episode

"You are constantly becoming a new person," says journalist Shankar Vedantam. In a talk full of beautiful storytelling, he explains the profound impact of something he calls the "illusion of continuity" -- the belief that our future selves will share the same views, perspectives and hopes as our current selves -- and shows how we can more proactively craft the people we are to become.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
4 hard truths about capitalism and climate | Steve Howard
<p>For decades, investor and business leader Steve Howard watched companies pour money and effort into sustainability initiatives ... and still fall short. The problem isn’t a lack of will, he says; it’s that capitalism and climate have been wired to work against each other. He s ... Show More
16m 37s
Nov 21
The army of autonomous robots restoring nature | Tom Chi
<p>Impact investor Tom Chi challenges a dangerous assumption: that economic growth and ecological health are opposing forces. He reveals how advances in AI and robotics are enabling a radical shift towards innovation as a force for restoration. Imagine mines that extract less, fa ... Show More
19m 29s
Nov 20
The thrill of not knowing all the answers | Harini Bhat
<p>In a world that prizes certainty, hot takes and instant answers, what happens when we celebrate the power of ... not knowing? Scientist and storyteller Harini Bhat shares how she built a mega-popular YouTube channel where curiosity, not credentials, drives discovery. From anci ... Show More
9m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 20
(#2) Elise’s Top Ten: You don't actually know what your future self wants | Shankar Vedantam
<p>"You are constantly becoming a new person," says journalist Shankar Vedantam. In a talk full of beautiful storytelling, he explains the profound impact of something he calls the "illusion of continuity" -- the belief that our future selves will share the same views, perspectiv ... Show More
16m 4s
Sep 20
(#5) Elise’s Top Ten: The new political story that could change everything | George Monbiot
<p>To get out of the mess we're in, we need a new story that explains the present and guides the future, says author George Monbiot. Drawing on findings from psychology, neuroscience and evolutionary biology, he offers a new vision for society built around our fundamental capacit ... Show More
17m 18s
Sep 20
(#1) Elise’s Top Ten: The psychology of your future self | Dan Gilbert
<p>"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of history illusion," where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: ... Show More
9m 24s
Dec 2024
Dr. Joe Dispenza: Rewire Your Brain for an Abundant Future & Master Your Mind | EP 826
<p>Have you listened to the <a href="http://greatness.lnk.to/1702" target="_blank">FULL EPISODE yet?</a></p><p>"If you're not being defined by a vision of your future, then you're left to the memories of your past and you'll be predictable in your life." - Dr. Joe Dispenza</p><p> ... Show More
6m 34s
Jul 2025
Go ahead, dream about the future | Charlie Jane Anders (re-release)
<p>"You don't predict the future -- you imagine the future," says sci-fi writer Charlie Jane Anders. In a talk that's part dream, part research-based extrapolation, she takes us on a wild, speculative tour of the delights and challenges the future may hold -- and shows how dreami ... Show More
13m 8s
Sep 20
(#8) Elise’s Top Ten: Change your story, change your life | Lori Gottlieb
<p>Stories help you make sense of your life — but when these narratives are incomplete or misleading, they can keep you stuck instead of providing clarity. In an actionable talk, psychotherapist and advice columnist Lori Gottlieb shows how to break free from the stories you've be ... Show More
18m 25s
Oct 3
Daniel K. Sodickson, "The Future of Seeing: How Imaging is Changing the World" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Over the centuries, we have learned to peer into what was once invisible. Imaging devices like cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and MRI machines map the world around, beyond, and within us in ways the naked eye could never see. In so doing, these technologies have transformed ou ... Show More
1h 9m
Mar 2024
Joseph Cone, "Seeing Opera Anew: A Cultural and Biological Perspective" (Routledge, 2023)
What people ultimately want from music-drama, audience research suggests, is to be absorbed in a story that engages their feelings, even moves them deeply, and that may lead them to insights about life and, perhaps, themselves. Joseph Cone's Seeing Opera Anew: A Cultural and Biol ... Show More
1h 3m
Dec 2023
Vincent Ialenti, "Deep Time Reckoning: How Future Thinking Can Help Earth Now" (MIT Press, 2020)
Based on twelve years of anthropological exploration, Vincent Ialenti'sDeep Time Reckoning: How Future Thinking Can Help Earth Now (MIT Press, 2020) is an engaging guide on deep time learning to reorient our understanding of time and space. As each chapter begins with creative vi ... Show More
1h 18m
Oct 19
TED Talks Daily Book Club: Why change is so scary — and how to unlock its potential | Maya Shankar (re-release)
<p>Unexpected change like an accident, an illness or a relationship that suddenly ends is inevitable -- and disorienting. With a heartfelt and optimistic take on life's curveballs, cognitive scientist Maya Shankar shares how these challenging moments can inspire transformation, o ... Show More
15m 45s