How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed

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This week on TED.com October 31, 2015

Talk of the week Daniel Levitin: How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed 12:20 minutes · Filmed Sep 2015 · Posted Oct 2015 · TEDGlobal>London You're not at your best when you're stressed. In fact, your brain has evolved over millennia to release cortisol in stressful situations, inhibiting rational, logical thinking but potentially helping you survive, say, being attacked by a lion. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin thinks there's a way to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking becomes clouded -- the pre-mortem. "We all are going to fail now and then," he says. "The idea is to think ahead to what those failures might be." Watch now »

Playlist of the week Keeping an eye on artificial intelligence Computers are being taught to learn, reason and even recognize human emotions. In these talks, look for insights -- as well as warnings. Watch » 7 TED Talks • Total run time 1:37:53

More from TED.com Cesar Harada moved his science class into an industrial mega-space where imaginative kids work with wood, metal, chemistry, biology, optics and, occasionally, power tools to build cool new projects with a purpose: solving the threats facing the world's oceans. There, he instills a universal lesson that his own parents taught him: "You can make a mess, but you have to clean up after yourself." Watch » In this wonderful talk, artist Christine Sun Kim, who is deaf, invites us to open our eyes and ears and participate in the rich treasure of visual language. She shows us how sound doesn't have to be known solely through the ears -- it can be felt, seen and experienced as an idea. Watch » In 2013, the world learned how the NSA and GCHQ spied on the German government through rooftop antennas. And Mathias Jud and Christoph Wachter thought: Well, if they're listening ... let's talk to them. Mounting their own antennas on the roof of the Swiss Embassy, they set up an open network that let the world send messages to US and UK spies listening nearby. It's one of three bold, often funny, and frankly subversive projects in this talk, which challenges surveillance and closed networks. Watch » When a family falls into crisis -- thanks to unemployment, drugs, bad relationships, bad luck -- the social services system is supposed to help them get back on track. In the UK, a typical family in crisis is eligible for services from more than 70 different agencies -- yet it's unlikely that any one of them can really make a difference, says Hillary Cottam. She asks us: How can we help the helpers? Watch »

read more about ideas on ted.com Gallery: Jawdropping photos of mysterious caves » Ancient caves that hold surprises  ...   Family: 5 ways to be a better human at the zoo » You might hate zoos -- but if you do visit one, here's how to make the animals' day a little better Languge: Is English your second language? Remember to love your mother tongue » Speak your own language to share its beauty, culture, memory

Quote of the Week “ I propose that we can use psychology to solve problems that we didn't even realize were problems at all. This is my suggestion for getting people to finish their course of antibiotics: Don't give them 24 white pills. Give them 18 white pills and six blue ones and tell them to take the white pills first and then take the blue ones. It's called chunking. The likelihood that people will get to the end is much greater when there is a milestone somewhere in the middle." Rory Sutherland Perspective is everything

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