The 20 All-Time Worst TED Talks

At $7,500 a ticket, high-minded TED Talks are a pretty expensive way to watch someone give a lecture about whatever into one of those headset mics that Britney Spears uses. Are they actually worth it? Here's 20 that you should get your money back for.

Jessi Arrington: Wearing nothing new

Description: Designer Jessi Arrington packed nothing for TED but 7 pairs of undies, buying the rest of her clothes in thrift stores around LA. It's a meditation on conscious consumption -- wrapped in a rainbow of color and creativity.

Why it's deplorable: "Hey millionaires - let me tell you about this CRAZY thing called a 'thrift store'. You can buy -- get this -- used clothes! And they're totally cheap. Who even knew?! Wait, poor people?"

JR: One year of turning the world inside out

Description: Street artist JR made a wish in 2011: Join me in a worldwide photo project to show the world its true face. Now, a year after his TED Prize wish, he shows how giant posters of human faces, pasted in public, are connecting communities, making change, and turning the world inside out

Why it's insufferable: The phrase "can art change the world?" is projected on the screen behind him within the first 30 seconds. This is the second most boring question about art after "what IS art?"

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity

Description: Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Why your eyes will roll off the edge of planet Earth: It's a talk by the author of Eat. Pray, Love about being a genius.

Paul Zak: Trust, morality — and oxytocin

Description: What drives our desire to behave morally? Neuroeconomist Paul Zak shows why he believes oxytocin (he calls it "the moral molecule") is responsible for trust, empathy and other feelings that help build a stable society.

Why it's ridiculous: “[You need] eight hugs a day. You'll be happier and the world will be a better place.” For those who prefer their hard neuroscience in greeting card platitudes.


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