How to Be a Better Human – Details, episodes & analysis
Podcast details
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How to Be a Better Human
TED and PRX
Frequency: 1 episode/8d. Total Eps: 303

Join How to Be a Better Human as we take a look within and beyond ourselves.
How to Be a Better Human isn’t your average self improvement podcast. Each week join comedian Chris Duffy in conversation with guests and past speakers as they uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how YOU can be a better human.
From your work to your home and your head to your heart, How to Be a Better Human looks in unexpected places for new ways to improve and show up for one another. Inspired by the popular series of the same name on TED’s Ideas blog, How to Be a Better Human will help you become a better person from the comfort of your own headphones.
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Apple Podcasts
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
27/07/2025#12🇨🇦 Canada - education
27/07/2025#20🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
27/07/2025#12🇬🇧 Great Britain - education
27/07/2025#24🇩🇪 Germany - selfImprovement
27/07/2025#46🇺🇸 USA - selfImprovement
27/07/2025#18🇺🇸 USA - education
27/07/2025#24🇫🇷 France - selfImprovement
27/07/2025#49🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
26/07/2025#13🇨🇦 Canada - education
26/07/2025#24
Spotify
No recent rankings available
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
See all- http://go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
172 shares
- http://go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts
77 shares
- https://dorieclark.com/
75 shares
RSS feed quality and score
Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.
See allScore global : 64%
Publication history
Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.
How to be less cynical (w/ Jamil Zaki)
lundi 26 août 2024 • Duration 36:34
It’s an age-old question - are people innately good or bad? Watching the news and constantly consuming social media, many of us are cynical about human nature. Psychologist Jamil Zaki suggests that we may be being fooled, that empathy is all around us - we just have to pay a little more attention. Jamil and Chris discuss the power of empathy, positive gossiping, normalizing compliments and more to help you see why the good in each of us is what makes us human.
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
How to be an adult - and how to raise one (w/ Julie Lythcott-Haims) (re-release)
lundi 19 août 2024 • Duration 35:19
Whether it’s grades and test scores, cushy jobs or big salaries, our ideas of “success” tend to be incredibly narrow and often start incredibly early. Julie Lythcott-Haims is a New York Times bestselling author and former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford, and she is dedicated to helping people reconsider what really makes a happy, “successful” adult. Julie shares wisdom for parents and anyone who has been parented on why it’s crucial to question societal expectations, how to find your own path and why empathy towards yourself and others are the true key to loving who you’ll grow up to be. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
How to be brave when family life gets tough (w/Kelly Corrigan)
lundi 17 juin 2024 • Duration 37:38
Every person, no matter how ordinary, has to occasionally summon extraordinary bravery to get through life’s challenges. If you haven’t already had one of those moments, you will at some point. Because, hey, Kelly Corrigan says, that’s life. Kelly shares her trademark wit and wisdom in this week’s conversation about how to hold ourselves, our families, and our loved ones together when our world is falling apart.
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
To see Kelly's full talk, visit go.ted.com/BH-Kelly
How to find your voice (with Greta Morgan)
lundi 18 juillet 2022 • Duration 33:26
What would happen if the thing that defined you disappeared overnight? Whether it’s our job, our abilities, or output—many of us meld our identities with the things we do, and often forget who we are in the process. Greta Morgan is a writer and musician whose musical projects include Vampire Weekend, Springtime Carnivore, and Gold Motel. In 2020, Greta was diagnosed with a disorder that completely changed her ability to sing. In this episode, she shares what her vocal loss and recovery taught her about her inner voice, and how we might find our voice and resilience in both art and the creative process.
How to make yourself more human in an automated world (with Kevin Roose)
lundi 11 juillet 2022 • Duration 34:10
Humans can have a complex relationship with technology: tools like smartphones make our lives easier, but they can also be a source of anxiety or dependence. The internet can be an amazing place, or it can be a doom scrolling nightmare. And then there’s the always looming threat that our jobs–even the ones we thought only humans could do, like making art–could be lost to automation. Kevin Roose is a tech journalist who writes about the intersection of tech, business, and culture. In today’s episode, he talks about the shift of technology’s role in our lives and how we can set up boundaries with our devices to regain our autonomy. He also shares why he’s optimistic about the future, and his view on how futureproofing your job in an automated world has less to do with sharpening up our coding skills and more to do with leaning into our shared humanity. His new book, “Future Proof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation” is out now.
How to Find the Comedy in A Messed-Up World (with Maeve Higgins)
lundi 4 juillet 2022 • Duration 31:54
On a list of the least funny topics imaginable, the global refugee crisis, border disputes, and questions of citizenships are probably close to the top. And yet comedian Maeve Higgins has spent her career finding ways to make jokes about (and make sense of) the ways we draw lines across the globe. She’s a standup and a writer who speaks from the point of view of an Irish immigrant in the United States. In this episode, she talks about ways we can find funny and eye-opening vantage points to look at the realities and borders of the world, our place in it, and how imagination and laughter can help us through tough times.
How to unite people through art (with JR)
lundi 27 juin 2022 • Duration 29:03
Art can move us in deep, meaningful ways. A beautiful song, a good book, or a great film can change our perspectives and attitudes toward ideas, and sometimes people. Where does that magic come from–and how can we channel it when we’re creating? JR is an artist famed for his enormous black and white portraits that tell stories and adorn surfaces from the Louvre to the favelas of Brazil. His ambitious projects, like a recent massive mural outside a supermax prison in California or the boy who peers curiously over the wall at the Mexico–United States border, put a deeply human face to things we might have only read in the news while also highlighting and celebrating the connections between us humans. In this episode, JR talks about the importance of joy in his art-making process, speaks to the value of community and curiosity, and shares how his unique working style developed over the years.
Body Stuff: Do you really need 8 hours of sleep?
lundi 30 mai 2022 • Duration 33:13
We all know a good night’s sleep is essential, but for many people, sleeping well (or falling asleep at all) can be difficult and even stressful– and there’s no shortage of tales about what prevents people from catching their ZZZs. In this episode, Dr. Jen digs into ``how to sleep'' culture– from blue light blockers to sleep hygiene enthusiasts, to the 8 hours a night rule to… witches?! Don’t sleep on this episode–because it might just have you skipping the melatonin supplements and rethinking sleep rituals –before jumping into bed for a well-deserved snooze. This is an episode of Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. To hear more episodes on the lies we're told (and sold) about our personal health, follow Body Stuff wherever you're listening to this.
How To Pitch Your Best Ideas | WorkLife with Adam Grant
lundi 2 mai 2022 • Duration 43:53
Great pitches can seem like genius or magic. But you don’t have to be a great salesperson to give a great pitch. Whether you’re floating an idea at a team meeting, looking for investors for your startup, or applying for your next job, life is full of pitching moments. In this episode, we bust myths about what it takes to drum up excitement–and share insights from Hollywood and Silicon Valley on ways to improve your chances of getting your audience on board. This is an episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective. To hear more episodes on the science of making work not suck, follow WorkLife with Adam Grant wherever you're listening to this. For the full transcript of this episode, visit go.ted.com/WL44.
How to talk to a colleague who offended you
lundi 21 mars 2022 • Duration 57:20
Dionna and Denise had a professional relationship that mostly worked–until it didn’t. After a string of mishaps in their workplace, a comment Denise made online sparked a fallout between the two coworkers. In this episode, we hear from both women about the power of impact regardless of intent, how assumptions cloud communication, and why forgiveness requires accountability, transparency, and a willingness to put yourself in another person’s shoes. This is an episode of the podcast Conversations With People Who Hate Me, another show from the TED Audio Collective. You can find and follow the show wherever you’re listening to this.