How to Be a Better Human
TED
How To Be A Better Human isn’t your average self improvement podcast. Each week join Chris Duffy in conversation with guests and past speakers as they uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how YOU can be a better human. From your work to your home and your head to your heart, How To Be a Better Human looks in unexpected places for new ways to improve and show up for one another. Inspired by the popular series of the same name on TED’s Ideas blog, How to Be a Better Human will help you become a better person from the comfort of your own headphones.Follow Chris on Instagram and TikTok at @chrisiduffy. Buy his book Humor Me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
18 snips
Nov 2, 2026 • 41min
How to be less useful (w/ Priyanka Mattoo)
Priyanka Mattoo, author, screenwriter, former talent agent, and producer, explores the joy of being less useful. She discusses overfunctioning, the pressure to be endlessly productive, learning to receive care, and how an injury forced her family to share responsibility. They also unpack gender roles in marriage, making room for joy, and the liberating power of doing less.
27 snips
Oct 26, 2026 • 45min
How to connect with literally anyone (w/ Chris Gethard)
Chris Gethard, comedian, writer, actor and creator of Beautiful Anonymous, explores the art of connecting with anyone. He shares how unscripted calls, improv and embracing failure create space for vulnerability. They discuss empathetic listening, self-disclosure, unfiltered conversation, overcoming anxiety and loneliness, and using comedy to speak honestly about mental health.
Oct 19, 2026 • 43min
Why do we like scary stories? (w/ Glynn Washington)
Glynn Washington, creator of Snap Judgment and Spooked, explores why real-life ghost stories fascinate us. He recounts growing up in a cult and moving to Japan, while discussing memory, belief, mortality, and the power of personal myths. They also examine how paranormal tales create space for difficult truths, challenge certainty, and invite deeper listening.
19 snips
Oct 15, 2026 • 41min
Do all my friends secretly hate me? | from Corner Piece
Marisa G. Franco, psychologist, professor, speaker, and bestselling author, explores why adult friendship can feel so complicated. The conversation dives into friendship breakups, fears that friends secretly dislike us, changing relationships across life stages, vulnerability, and the small risks that help create deeper connections.
13 snips
Oct 12, 2026 • 46min
The doctor who says to eat your ice cream (w/ Zeke Emanuel)
Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist, bioethicist, health policy expert, author, and professor, questions a healthcare system focused on treating illness instead of preventing it. He explores the hidden costs of wellness obsession, the future of primary care, and six simple rules for healthy living. They also discuss spontaneous conversations, social connection, reckless risks, and why soda and ultra-processed foods deserve more scrutiny than ice cream.
54 snips
Oct 5, 2026 • 53min
How to reclaim your narrative (w/ Monica Lewinsky)
Monica Lewinsky, anti-bullying activist and creator of Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, reflects on life after public scandal. She explores healing, humor as survival, and reclaiming an identity shaped by headlines. The conversation examines public shaming, cancel culture versus accountability, forgiveness, power, and finding empathy for earlier versions of ourselves.
45 snips
Sep 28, 2026 • 44min
How reading can transform your life (w/ Reginald Dwayne Betts)
Reginald Dwayne Betts, a poet, lawyer, and prison reform advocate, explores how books can build connection and empathy inside prisons. He discusses Freedom Reads, the humanizing power of beautiful libraries, making poetry joyful and accessible, navigating book bans, and using creativity to imagine meaningful prison reform.
48 snips
Sep 21, 2026 • 42min
How to live longer (w/ Keith Diaz)
Keith Diaz, an exercise scientist at Columbia University, explores how everyday movement supports healthy aging. They discuss why sitting for long stretches can harm the body, how brief walking or simple exercises can help, and why workouts do not cancel out a sedentary day. They also examine workplace culture, accessible movement, habit-building, and better ways to track activity.
4 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 48min
How to navigate complicated family dynamics (w/ Emerson Whitney)
Emerson Whitney, autobiographical writer and author of O Mother, reflects on losing his mom to suicide, shared disability, chronic pain, and the family conversations left unspoken. He explores neurodivergence, shame, interdependence, queer community, joyful friendship, flexible boundaries, chosen family, and how to embrace a more authentic life amid grief and generational loss.
18 snips
Sep 7, 2026 • 44min
Does it Take a Twisted Mind to Write Twisted Stories? | from Better In Person
Harlan Coben, the bestselling mystery novelist behind numerous screen adaptations, explores the craft of suspense and the leap from struggling writer to breakthrough success. He discusses adapting books for television, crossing paths with David Foster Wallace and Dan Brown, and finding mystery in ordinary objects. Coben also reflects on impostor syndrome, grief, wandering thoughts, and why peaceful suburbia makes the perfect backdrop for darkness.
