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










Comments (250)
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nirav27 commented on Dec 17 2013
Reblogged this on Jungle Heat Wiki.
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soletyourhairdown commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on Journey of a Confused, Lost, yet Free Freshman.
Jessica commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on Life With Jess and commented:
I love TED talks and these are the top 20 for 2013.
bherbert19 commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on Brandon M. Herbert – Author's Den and commented:
I’ve seen most of these videos, and found some of them (like Sir Ken Robinson’s, which was my introduction to TED talks), to be absolutely brilliant!
lilyseseepkis commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on Lily se seepkis.
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glendanp commented on Dec 16 2013
Love this list!
glendanp commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on Yarn Around My World and commented:
Hey, these are worth a watch! Love these!
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John Smith commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on THE STRATEGIC LEARNER and commented:
More sheer knowledge and thinking here than the average end-of-year list …
alexswallow commented on Dec 16 2013
Reblogged this on one swallow makes a summer and commented:
Fascinating…what a great list, wish Dan Pallotta was on it!
Kate Torgovnick commented on Dec 16 2013
This makes me curious…
What other talks are people wishing was on this list? Keep sharing them, and it could happen.