TED Health

Picture this. You're scrolling late at night and a reel pops up advertising a seemingly magical wellness product with some scientific-sounding marketing language. Do you stick around and maybe even believe it? Or do you scroll away? In this episode, Shoshana explores the mind, and how perception affects it. She shares two talks about how different people can experience reality in wildly different ways. First, Alex Rosenthal shares how having aphantasia prevents him from generating mental images, then Susan G. Wardle dives into the science of perception and why some people see faces in places that don’t exist, like clouds and even potato chips.

Talk featured
Can you picture things in your mind? I can't | Alex Rosenthal
What it means if you can see faces in objects | Susan G. Wardle

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Why do we feel exhausted all the time? We’ll get through the workday, collapse on the couch, scroll for a while, and go to bed… but wake up still feeling depleted. In this episode, Shoshana seeks to understand the concept of“deep rest.” She speaks to psychologist Dr. Alexandra Crosswell on the role stress plays in our daily lives and what safety has to do with bodily repair and restoration.

Talk featured
What’s the best position to sleep in? | Rachel Marie E. Salas

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In a world growing louder, faster and more fractured, author Pico Iyer makes the case for a radical act of repair. Explore why tapping into silence may be the best medicine you can give yourself, and everyone around you.

(Following his talk at TED2025, he joins Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, to share how he finds time for silence and mindfulness in a hyperactive world, why he avoids going online and how his previous TED Talk about ping pong led to him being cast in the film “Marty Supreme.”)

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Does eating local honey help reduce your allergies through microexposure to local pollen? How effective is at-home allergies test? And why do so many Olympic athletes have asthma? These are some of the questions raised in today’s conversation with immunologist Dr. Zachary Rubin. From cat dander to pollen to peanuts, Dr. Rubin discusses how having minor to severe allergies can affect your health and what you can do to manage your allergies.

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Could exposing kids to their fears help them thrive later on in life? Exploring the science of exposure therapy, pediatric psychologist Kathryn Hecht shows how encouraging children to handle discomfort builds confidence and resilience. Through personal stories and practical strategies, she shares the secret for raising kids ready to meet life’s challenges.

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