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.
Antonio Damasio’s research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language, consciousness.
Antonio Damasio is a leader in understanding the biological origin of consciousness. He also argues that emotions, far from being barriers to it, are a crucial component of decision-making. He is founder and director of the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, which draws on partners across academic disciplines to use the explosion of new neuroscience results to tackle issues from mental health to societal and global change.
Damasio is the author of Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, which was adapted into a musical composition performed by Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History.
„A mind is so closely shaped by the body and destined to serve it that only one mind could possibly arise in it. No body, never mind.“
Der Dokumentarfilmer Florian Opitz hat mit “Speed” ein bemerkenswertes Buch geschrieben. Es ist eine Art Reisereportage geworden. Eine Reise durch unseren Alltag mit seiner wachsende Beschleunigung und unserem zunehmenden Unbehagen damit. Eine Reise auf der Suche nach der “verlorenen” Zeit, nach dem Sinn und Zweck des Hamsterrades. Warum werden wir immer hektischer und aller Betriebsamkeit, Technik und Tools zum Trotz niemals fertig?. Das Buch liest sich wie ein Film: dramaturgisch schön gebaut, unterhaltsam und verblüffend, anregend und Diskussionen ansteckend. Kurz: Eine deutliche Empfehlung. Florian Opitz, Speed, Riemann Verlag, München, 2011.(Und der Film dazu? Wir freuen uns darauf!)
Dr. Brené Brown is a researcher professor at the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work, where she has spent the past ten years studying a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness, posing the questions: How do we engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to embrace our imperfections and to recognize that we are enough — that we are worthy of love, belonging and joy? Brené is the author of I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power (2007) and the forthcoming books, The Gifts of Imperfection (2010) and Wholehearted: Spiritual Adventures in Falling Apart, Growing Up, and Finding Joy ( 2011).
TED Talk with Ron Gutman reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you’ll live — and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Prepare to flex a few facial muscles as you learn more about this evolutionarily contagious behavior. Ron Gutman is the founder and CEO of HealthTap, a personalized health-info site that’s currently in beta. He’s also the organizer of TEDxSiliconValley. Full bio and more links
In this rare clip from 1972, legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl delivers a powerful message about the human search for meaning — and the most important gift we can give others.
Michael Shermer ist der Meinung, dass sich die menschliche Neigung, seltsame Sachen zu glauben — von der Entführung durch Außerirdische bis hin zu Wünschelruten — auf zwei grundlegende, fest im Gehirn verwurzelte Überlebensfertigkeiten reduzieren lässt. Er erklärt welche das sind und wie sie uns in Schwierigkeiten bringen. (Michael Shermer on TED.com)
Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness — sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself. Watch through to the end for a sparkling Q&A with some familiar TED faces.
Dan Gilbert believes that, in our ardent, lifelong pursuit of happiness, most of us have the wrong map. In the same way that optical illusions fool our eyes — and fool everyone’s eyes in the same way — Gilbert argues that our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy. And these quirks in our cognition make humans very poor predictors of our own bliss.
Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy?
Dan Gilbert challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our „psychological immune system“ lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as planned.
Widely regarded as the world’s most influential living psychologist, Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel in Economics for his pioneering work in behavioral economics — exploring the irrational ways we make decisions about risk. (more about…)
Using examples from vacations to colonoscopies, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman reveals how our „experiencing selves“ and our „remembering selves“ perceive happiness differently. This new insight has profound implications for economics, public policy — and our own self-awareness. He talked at TED2010. (more…)
At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself.
