UPDATED: To see all these talks at one click, check out our updated Playlist: The 20 Most Popular Talks of All Time.
As 2013 draws to a close, TED is deeply humbled to have posted 1600+ talks, each representing an idea worth spreading. So which ideas have had the most widespread impact? Below, a look at the 20 most-watched talks as of December 2013. These viewership numbers include all the platforms we track: TED.com, YouTube, iTunes, embed and download, Hulu and more.
Some fascinating things to notice on this list, if you’d like to compare and contrast it to the most popular talks in 2012, and to the list we shared back in 2011: Amy Cuddy, Susan Cain, David Blaine and Pamela Meyer are all newcomers to the list, with Cuddy’s talk storming to spot #5 thanks to you sharing it. Meanwhile, Brene Brown’s talk has doubled in its number of views since 2012, with Simon Sinek and Mary Roach’s talks coming close to that line. And finally, Ken Robinson’s classic talk? Well, it has been played nearly 9 million times since last year alone.
But what really makes this list so incredible is the fact that it spans so many areas of interest, from education to happiness, statistics to creativity, tech demos to illusions. We love that this list revels in the wonders of the human brain, as well as in the incredible creatures of the deep sea, and far beyond.
- Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (2006): 23,510,221 views
- Jill Bolte Taylor‘s stroke of insight (2008): 14,343,197
- Simon Sinek on how great leaders inspire action (2010): 14,228,854
- Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability (2010): 12,703,623
- Amy Cuddy on how your body language shapes who you are (2012): 12,682,694
- Pranav Mistry on the thrilling potential of SixthSense (2009): 12,068,105
- Tony Robbins asks why we do what we do (2006): 10,425,014
- David Gallo‘s underwater astonishments (2007): 10,266,221
- Mary Roach on 10 things you didn’t know about orgasm (2009): 9,435,954
- Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation (2009): 9.176,053
- Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense (2009): 8, 363,339
- Dan Gilbert asks: Why are we happy? (2004): 7,788,151
- Hans Rosling shows the best stats you’ve ever seen (2006): 7,685,726
- Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing your creative genius (2009): 7,593,076
- Steve Jobs on how to live before you die (2005): 7,223,258
- Susan Cain shares the power of introverts (2012): 6,807,240
- Keith Barry does brain magic (2004): 6,371,778
- David Blaine reveals how he held his breath for 17 minutes (2010): 6,359,084
- Pamela Meyer on how to spot a liar (2010): 6,256,589
- Arthur Benjamin does mathemagic (2005): 4,951,918
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