Episode 188- Rethinking Generosity with Head of TED Chris Anderson

Are you a net giver or a net taker? Chris Anderson says this is the most powerful moral question we can ask ourselves. As head of TED, Chris has overseen the transformation of TED from an annual conference into a global beacon of ideas by giving away talks online, allowing millions access to free learning. Now he’s ready to share his own “idea worth spreading.” In his new book, Infectious Generosity, Chris explains how each of us can be a catalyst for the amplification of human kindness. Through acts of generosity great and small, we have within us the power to create a ripple effect that can transform the world. In our conversation today, we talk about the surprising science behind generosity, its psychological links to happiness, and how we can rethink generosity in today’s world.

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Show Notes

• What inspired Chris to write his new book, Infectious Generosity (2:11)
• Humans are wired for kindness and generosity (3:23)
• The ripple effect of generosity (4:51)
• Transforming TED by giving away the platform for free (6:18)
• Give away the thing that feels like the most radical thing you can give away (9:05)
• The inside story of an experiment in which 200 people online were given $10k each by an anonymous donor – and what happened next. (9:55)
• Six ways to give that aren’t about money (11:42)
• The power of making a personal pledge to give financially (12:58)
• Are you a net giver or a net taker? (18:17)
• The surprising science behind generosity and its psychological links to happiness (22:06)
• How to make human kindness go viral (23:23)
• Why fixing the Internet should be our top priority (27:16)
• How to create a generosity mindset inside of your organization (31:09)
• The vision of TED moving forward: ideas change everything (32:27)
• The power of artificial intelligence (34:27

Resources / People Mentioned

• Infectious Generosity by Chris Anderson
• TED
• Giving What We Can
• The Kindness Pandemic
• MrBeast
• Manifesto for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz
• TED: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator (Tim Urban)
• Trevor Noah
• Steven Pinkner, experimental psychologist
• Aimee Mullins, Paralympian

Recommended For You

Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:

• Carlos Whittaker on How to Practice Empathy
• Neil Blumenthal on How to Build Purpose-Driven Teams
• Celeste Headlee on Ways to Have a Better Conversation

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