Ted Talks & other videos for Social Psychology Course
Chapter 3 – The Social Self
Amy Cuddy: “Your body language shapes who you are”
Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social
psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” -- standing in a posture of confidence, even
when we don’t feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might
even have an impact on our chances for success.
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html
Jessica's "Daily Affirmation"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg
Gary Wolf: “The quantified self “
At TED@Cannes, Gary Wolf gives a 5-min intro to an intriguing new pastime: using mobile apps
and always-on gadgets to track and analyze your body, mood, diet, spending -- just about
everything in daily life you can measure -- in gloriously geeky detail.
http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_wolf_the_quantified_self.html
Chapter 4 –Perceiving Persons
Pamela Meyer: “How to spot a liar”
On any given day we're lied to from 10 to 200 times, and the clues to detect those lie can be
subtle and counter-intuitive. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting, shows the manners and
"hotspots" used by those trained to recognize deception -- and she argues honesty is a value
worth preserving.
http://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_meyer_how_to_spot_a_liar.html
Chapter 5 – Stereotype, Prejudice & Discrimination
Stereotype Threat Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGEUVM6QuMg
Stefan Wolff: “The path to ending ethnic conflicts”
Civil wars and ethnic conflicts have brought the world incredible suffering, but Stefan Wolff's
figures show that, in the last 20 years, their number has steadily decreased. He extracts critical
lessons from Northern Ireland, Liberia, Timor and more to show that leadership, diplomacy and
institutional design are our three most effective weapons in waging peace.
http://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_wolff_the_path_to_ending_ethnic_conflicts.html
Chapter 6 – Attitudes
Jonathan Haidt: “The moral roots of liberals and conservatives”
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political
attitudes, whether we're left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral
values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.
Chapter 7 – Social Influence: Conformity & Obedience
Replication of Milgram Experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk
Philip Zimbardo: “The psychology of evil”
This has graphic images and you should skip from 5:00 minutes to 6:50 minutes if you need to
Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares insights
and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how
easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge.
http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind.html
Chapter 9 – Attraction & Close Relationships
Stefana Broadbent: “How the Internet enables intimacy”
We worry that IM, texting, Facebook are spoiling human intimacy, but Stefana Broadbent's
research shows how communication tech is capable of cultivating deeper relationships, bringing
love across barriers like distance and workplace rules. Stefana Broadbent watches us while we
talk (and IM, and text). She is one of a new class of ethnographers who study the way our social
habits and relationships function and mutate in the digital age.
http://www.ted.com/talks/stefana_broadbent_how_the_internet_enables_intimacy.html
Helen Fisher: “The brain in love”
Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about
our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took
MRIs of people in love -- and people who had just been dumped. Anthropologist Helen Fisher
studies gender differences and the evolution of human emotions. She's best known as an expert
on romantic love, and her beautifully penned books -- including Anatomy of Love and Why We
Love -- lay bare the mysteries of our most treasured emotion
http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html
Chapter 10 – Helping Others
Jeremy Rifkin: “The empathic civilization”
In this talk from RSA Animate, bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of
empathy and the profound ways it has shaped human development and society. Author and
social thinker Jeremy Rifkin asks, "Can we reach biosphere consciousness and global empathy
in time to avert planetary collapse?"
http://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_rifkin_on_the_empathic_civilization.html
Bystander effect: The Case Of Kitty Genovese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJqhWkTGu5o
Chapter 12 – Law
Scott Fraser: "Why eyewitnesses get it wrong"
Scott Fraser studies how humans remember crimes -- and bear witness to them. In this powerful
talk, which focuses on a deadly shooting at sunset, he suggests that even close-up
eyewitnesses to a crime can create "memories" they could not have seen. Why? Because the
brain abhors a vacuum. Editor's note: In the original version of this talk, Scott Fraser misspoke
about available footage of Two World Trade Center (Tower 2). The misstatement has been
edited out for clarity.
http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_fraser_the_problem_with_eyewitness_testimony.html
Bryan Stevenson: "We need to talk about an injustice"
In an engaging and personal talk -- with cameo appearances from his grandmother and Rosa
Parks -- human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America's justice
system, starting with a massive imbalance along racial lines: a third of the country's black male
population has been incarcerated at some point in their lives. These issues, which are wrapped
up in America's unexamined history, are rarely talked about with this level of candor, insight and
persuasiveness.
http://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice.html
Chapter 13 – Health & Happiness
Matt Killingsworth: "Want to be happier? Stay in the moment"
When are humans most happy? To gather data on this question, Matt Killingsworth built an app,
Track Your Happiness, that let people report their feelings in real time. Among the surprising
results: We're often happiest when we're lost in the moment. And the flip side: The more our
mind wanders, the less happy we can be.
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_killingsworth_want_to_be_happier_stay_in_the_moment.html
Michael Norton: "How to buy happiness"
At TEDxCambridge, Michael Norton shares fascinating research on how money can, indeed buy
happiness -- when you don't spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways
pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people.
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_norton_how_to_buy_happiness.html