Where does your sense of self come from? A scientific look | Anil Ananthaswamy

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2023

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Our memories and bodies give us clues about who we are, but what happens when this guidance shifts? In this mind-bending talk, science writer Anil Ananthaswamy shares how the experiences of "altered selves" -- resulting from schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, foreign limb syndrome or other conditions -- shed light on the constructed nature of identity. He breaks down where our sense of self comes from and invites us to challenge our assumptions about who we are, with the aim of building a better you and a better world.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Ted Talks Daily, I'm Elise Hugh.
0:07.2	Who we are, who we believe ourselves to be, is a philosophical question and a scientific
0:12.5	one.
0:13.7	In his talk from Ted 2022, science writer Anil Anathaswami tackles the construction of
0:19.6	our narrative selves.
0:21.4	And in doing so, he opened up my thinking about gosh, who I am and who we are entirely.
0:27.4	And it might do the same for you.
0:29.4	I'll give you him after the break.
0:31.4	Support for Ted Talks Daily comes from Airbnb.
0:37.8	When you're staying at an Airbnb, you might be like me.
0:40.3	Wondering, could my place be an Airbnb?
0:42.5	And if it could, what could it earn?
0:44.4	You could be sitting on an Airbnb and not even know it.
0:47.4	Maybe you have a spare bedroom where friends and families stay every few months.
0:50.7	You could Airbnb it, make some extra money, instead of letting it sit empty.
0:55.0	Maybe your kids have gone off to university and you suddenly have an extra bedroom or two.
0:58.6	And there you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something a little
1:02.1	more fun.
1:03.1	Your home might be worth more than you think.
1:05.9	Find out how much at Airbnb.co.uk slash host.
1:14.5	Hey everyone, it's Adam Grant.
1:16.7	Welcome to Rethinking, my podcast on the Science of What Makes Us Tick.
	...

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