The surprising science of alpha males

Alpha males: Not what you think. Open in browser

This week on TED.com June 23, 2018

Talk of the week Frans de Waal: The surprising science of alpha males 15:54 minutes · Filmed Nov 2017 · Posted Jun 2018 · TEDMED 2017 In this fascinating look at the "alpha male," primatologist Frans de Waal explores the privileges and costs of power -- while drawing surprising parallels between how humans and primates choose their leaders. His research reveals some of the unexpected capacities of alpha males -- generosity, empathy, even peacekeeping -- and sheds light on the power struggles of human politicians. "Someone who is big and strong and intimidates and insults everyone is not necessarily an alpha male," de Waal says. Watch now »

Playlist of the week How music affects us Music is part of our shared humanity -- but why does it make us feel the way we do? These talks explore our fascinating relationship with the music we love. Watch » 9 TED Talks to choose from • Total run time 2:59:06

catch up on this week's newest TED Talks What happens when technology knows more about us than we do? Poppy Crum studies how we express emotions -- and she suggests the end of the poker face is near, as new tech makes it easy to see the signals that give away how we're feeling. In a talk and demo, she shows how "empathetic technology" can read physical signals like body temperature and the chemical composition of our breath to inform on our emotional state. Watch » Netflix changed the world of entertainment -- first with DVD-by-mail, then with streaming media, then again with hit original shows like Orange Is the New Black and Stranger Things -- but not without taking its fair share of risks. In conversation with TED curator Chris Anderson, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings discusses the company's bold internal culture and the algorithm that fuels your recommendations. Watch » The global refugee crisis is a mental health catastrophe too, leaving millions of adults and kids traumatized by forced dislocation and conflict. How can we help people grow strong enough to rebuild their lives? Child psychiatrist Essam Daod has been working in camps, rescue boats and the shorelines of Greece and the Mediterranean Sea to help refugees (a quarter of which are children) reframe their experiences through short, powerful psychological interventions. As he says: "We need to acknowledge that first aid is not just needed for the body, but it has also to include the mind, the soul." Watch » A talk in Spanish with English subtitles: Gastón Acurio started his restaurant Astrid & Gastón in Peru in the 1990s, hoping to elevate the home-style cooking he grew up with to haute cuisine. Since then, he's built a restaurant empire -- and last month he won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Diners Club, placing him among the world's most legendary chefs. But at heart, he's still a home cook. In this warm, wonderful talk, he asks us to embrace our culinary roots and transform the world with the meals we prepare each day. Watch »   What can we learn from the slimy, smelly side of science? In this playful talk,  journalist Anna Rothschild shows us the hidden wisdom of "gross stuff" and explains how the creepy underbelly of nature, medicine and technology is an important source of knowledge about our health and the world. "When we explore the gross side of life, we find insights that we never would have thought we'd find," she says, "and we even often reveal beauty that we didn't think was there." Watch » Writer and artist James Bridle explores a dark, strange corner of the internet, where unknown creators on YouTube hack the brains of young children in return for advertising revenue. From "surprise egg" reveals and the "Finger Family Song" to algorithmically created mashups of familiar cartoon characters in violent situations, these videos exploit and terrify young minds -- and they tell us something about where our increasingly data-driven world is headed. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Gallery: The story behind some of the world's most adventurous wedding photos >> This photographer climbed Everest to get the perfect wedding shot Tech: Why can't we predict a refugee crisis? This woman is working on it >> Overwhelmed borders, overflowing camps: How AI could help Psychology: Two smart techniques to help you master your emotions >> New science to recognize and categorize your feelings -- and feel better

Quote of the Week “ I want to tell you about Omar, a 5-year-old Syrian refugee boy who arrived to the shore on Lesbos on a crowded rubber boat. Crying, frightened, unable to understand what's happening to him, he was right on the verge of developing a new trauma. I knew right away that this was a golden hour, a short period of time in which I could change his story, the story that he would tell himself for the rest of his life. Omar looked at me with scared, tearful eyes and said, "What is this?" as he pointed out to the police helicopter hovering above us. I said: "It's a helicopter! It's here to photograph you with big cameras, because only the great and the powerful heroes, like you, Omar, can cross the sea." Omar looked at me, stopped crying and asked me, "I'm a hero?" Now, to Omar, the smell of the sea will not just remind him of his traumatic journey from Syria. Because to Omar, this story is now a story of bravery." Essam Daod Why it's important to give refugees mental health care

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