Smiling, Gratitude and More: 11 Awesome and Inspiring TED Talks

This month, I've made a couple of posts about the TED talks I've been watching for a goal on The List:

062. Watch 100 TED/TEDx Talks

After only watching 30 between November 2014 and November 2017, I watched another 29 across two months!

Thanks to YouTube's suggested videos, it's very easy to fall into a TED talk-watching hole. Last time I logged on, I intended to watch 'just one or two' to pass some time.

Eleven videos later, I have this post for you: talks (mostly) on the psychology smiles and gratitude.



Why you should talk to strangers | Aliya Dossa | TEDxTerryTalks
Economics major Aliya Dossa discusses her project, '101 Days, 101 Strangers, 101 Stories', in which she aimed to talk to 101 strangers in as many days, and discover their stories. In this talk, she retells some of her experiences with this project, and the things she learnt throughout, and what it reveals about our society.



After watching this, your brain will not be the same | Lara Boyd | TEDxVancouver
A fascinating talk about neuroplasticity, in which Dr Lara Boyd explains how research has shown we can shape our brains how we want, and what it means for the future of neuroscience, medicine and learning.



What does it mean to be beautiful? | Esther Honig | TEDxVancouver
Journalist Esther Honig sent her photo out to 50 strangers worldwide, asking them to make her 'beautiful'. The results were hugely varied, and after this project - titled 'Before and After ' - went viral, the project took on a life of its own and sparked a lot of conversation regarding beauty ideals.



The hidden power of smiling | Ron Gutman
In this talk, Ron Gutman reveals the results of studies into smiling, including smiles as a predictor of longevity, and smiles as a measurement of well-being. A short but enlightening talk!



The power of a smile | Steven Lin | TEDxMacquarieUniversity
Dentist Steven Lin discusses how dental hygiene affects the rest of a person's health, and how misunderstanding and lack of interest in dental disease and proper dental care can lead to surprising and extreme consequences. You will never skip flossing again.



The epidemic of smiles and the science of gratitude: Jennifer Moss at TEDxDistilleryDistrictWomen
In this eye-opening talk, Jennifer Moss talks about when her husband was rushed into hospital with a debilitating, potentially life-threatening condition, and how smiling and gratitude came to be part of their lives: part of how they coped, the rapid way her husband recovered, and how gratitude continues to help their family life happily.



A Smile Can Change a Moment | Courtney Fong | TEDxNorthbrookLibrary
Courtney Fong looks at the role and representation of the smile throughout history, and provides us with a new way of thinking about what can often be an expression that we take for granted.



How Your Smile Can Make A Difference | Seerat Sangha | TEDxEmbryRiddlePrescott
Seerat Sangha discusses the emotional impact of smiling--how it triggers a response that can actually make you feel better! In this talk, she discusses how smiles are interpreted in different countries (and why) and how smiling plays a role in her life.



365 grateful project | Hailey Bartholomew | TEDxQUT
In this talk, Hailey Bartholomew reveals her experiences with gratitude through her 365 grateful project, a year-long photography project in which she documented the things she was grateful for. She discusses how it helped her to find happiness within herself, and the impact it had on other people who were inspired by her project.



Gratitude sticks: why small acts of kindness matter | Kaitlin Garrity | TEDxBuffalo
Kaitlin Garrity discusses how we as a society perceive gratitude, and encourages us all to express our gratitude through the simple sticky note.



My 38 random acts of kindness: Botlhale Tshetlo at TEDxSoweto 2013
In the 38 days leading up to her 38th birthday, Botlhale Tshetlo decided to carry out 38 random acts of kindness, as her way of showing gratitude and giving back. In this talk she reveals some of those random acts, the people she encountered, and the results that this string of acts of kindness had.


So, my list of watched TED talks is now up to 59! I'm over half-way to completing this goal, hurrah!
I found these talks particularly inspiring, especially those about gratitude and random acts of kindness.
An important thing that I took away from this group of talks is that life doesn't have to be about the big things: small acts of kindness, small acts of gratitude, a small smile, and flossing your damn teeth can still have a huge impact.