How to Be a Better Human

“We have tried to create a system devoid of beauty, and it has failed. We have never tried to create a system that is replete with beauty and ask us what it might do.” Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet, a lawyer, and a prison reform advocate. In this episode, he joins Chris to discuss the detrimental effects of prison systems and how lack of resources and the lack of beauty in prison perpetuates dehumanization. Reginald and Chris also share their favorite poems and books and discuss Reginald’s work with the Freedom Library to bring books to prisoners and correction officers.

Poems and Books Mentioned
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
won’t you celebrate with me by Lucille Clifton
Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
Failing and Flying by Jack Gilbert
The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart by Jack Gilbert
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
under a soprano sky by Sonia Sanchez
For Freckle-Faced Gerald by Etheridge Knight

Featured guest
Follow Reginald on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at FreedomReads.org
Buy Felon: Poems and Doggerel: Poems

Connect with the team
Follow Chris on Instagram and at chrisduffycomedy.com
Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me
Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDPods
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

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Keith Diaz is an exercise scientist who studies the importance of movement to combat a sedentary lifestyle. He joins Chris to talk about how you can build better habits, and why simple alarm alerts might be more effective in motivating people to move than savvier tech like smart watches. Keith also shares why you need to activate your muscles to help you fight diseases and stay healthy.

Featured guest
Follow Keith Diaz on LinkedIn
Watch Ketih's TED Talk

Connect with the team
Follow Chris on Instagram and at chrisduffycomedy.com
Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me
Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDPods
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

Fill out our survey at bit.ly/BHSurvey6
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How do you bring up difficult topics—especially when it involves a loved one? In this episode, Emerson Whitney, author of the book O Mother, talks about the grief of losing his mom to suicide. Emerson shares delicate topics such as growing up neurodivergent with ADHD and autism and how he continues to show up as his authentic self. Then Emerson and Chris discuss finding community and how to cultivate more joyful friendships.

Featured guest
Follow Emerson Whitney on Instagram and at https://emersonwhitney.com/
Buy O Mother

Connect with the team
Follow Chris on Instagram and at chrisduffycomedy.com
Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me
Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDPods
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

Fill out our survey at bit.ly/BHSurvey6
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace.

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For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

Fill out our survey at bit.ly/BHSurvey6
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Roleplaying games and the Marvel universe may be fictional, but they can also teach us a lot about morality in the real world. Christopher Robichaud is a Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In this episode, he shares ways we can explore important, everyday issues in fun, safe, and unexpected ways. Christopher has made a career out of teaching ethics and philosophy using pop culture, dissecting moral questions using anything from zombie apocalypse simulations to superhero narratives. He received his doctorate in philosophy from MIT. In 2015 he won the Innovation in Teaching Award at the Harvard Kennedy School for creating a day-long simulation--using design elements from old school tabletop roleplaying games like D&D--where policy students wielded their leadership skills and confronted ethical dilemmas to deal with a zombie pandemic.
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

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