10 Best TED Talks About Marriage and Relationships
Dr. Arthur Aron did a study in 1997, that suggested that we can fall in love with absolutely anyone by asking them a list of 36 progressively more personal questions and then gazing into their eyes for a spell. Mandy Len Catron brings up this study to discuss how we do fall in love. Can we actively choose to fall in love with someone specific? More importantly, can we choose to remain in love with that person we have selected? Mandy leaves us with interesting questions to ponder about falling and staying in love.
7. Jenna McCarthy – What You Don’t Know About Marriage
Jenna McCarthy’s TED talk is a genuinely hilarious take on some interesting statistics that are said to predict happiness in modern marriage. As much a stand-up comedy routine as a discussion, Jenna’s talk includes many interesting marriage facts that most of us have probably never heard before. Please be advised, there is some strong language in this one.
8. George Blair-West – 3 Ways to Build a Happy Marriage and Avoid Divorce
George Blair-West’s insightful talk goes over some of the factors that tend to be true for the long-term couples that “make it.” From what level of life experience we begin our marriages at to the importance of equal power distribution and reliability between members of a couple, George’s talk offers a lot of food for thought.
Related Post: Creating Healthy Boundaries In Unhealthy Relationships
9. Margaret Heffernan – Dare to Disagree
Margaret Heffernan’s talk is less specifically about marriage but it brings up important ideas about the nature of disagreement – and how it can be treated as a positive – a type of collaborative thinking. All of our relationships can benefit and be strengthened from learning how to work through disagreements constructively. And let’s face it, a little disagreement in long-term partnerships is inevitable, so we may as well learn a thing or two about how to handle it better!
10. Helen Fisher – Why We Love, Why We Cheat
Helen Fisher gives an absolutely fascinating look at the brain chemistry behind falling in love, sexual exclusivity, building long-term attachment, and how those varying hormones and “drives” are different from each other. It’s in those differences where we learn why some people are capable of having affairs even though they still love their spouse. The focus of this talk is less on cheating than the title may suggest. It serves overall as an engaging overview of the amazing workings of our brains “on” love, sex, and attachment.
Whether young or old, newly wed or silver anniversary celebrant, these 10 best TED talks about marriage will help you cultivate a better relationship and understanding of your partner.
