We hope that you enjoy this summary of the six short NPR segments that were compiled to form the TED Radio Hour entitled “Just a Little Nicer.” This hour of TED Talks reviews ideas about compassion and empathy. Many of the highlights of these Ted Talks are directly applicable to our day-to-day life as medical students and future physicians. If you would like to listen to the full hour yourself, the link is listed below!
1. The Science Of Compassion
“She also learned the power of empathy. When you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it profoundly changes the relationship that you have with them.”
This uplifting TED Talk discusses many ways that being compassionate can actually benefit both the giver and receiver. The norm of reciprocity was discussed, and the speaker reminds us that if you’re nice to someone, they often reciprocate that emotion. The speaker also reminds us of the power of empathy and states, “When you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it profoundly changes the relationship you have with them.” This TED Talk shares a touching story about how a student reached out and compassionately changed the life of a young man struggling with homelessness. The author challenges us to remember that “everyone can make a difference.”
2. Is It Enough To Be Politically Correct?
“What matters more is emotional correctness: the tone, the feeling, how we say what we say, the respect and compassion we show one another.”
The star of this comical and inspiring TED Talk is Sally Kohn, a political commentator for CNN. This TED Talk reminds us of how important it is to “appreciate and validate someone’s experience even if it isn’t our own.” The speaker shares that in her personal experience, “political persuasion begins with emotional correctness.” She reiterates that “you can’t get anyone to agree with you if they won’t listen to you first.” In a world where we regularly deal with confrontation and differing opinions, emotional correctness is “how we start the conversations that lead to change.” This realistic and compelling piece leaves the listener better equipped to face the next challenging encounter.
3. Has the Word ‘Compassion’ Lost Its Meaning?
Compassion “can also express itself in the simple act of presence.”
This TED Talk thoughtfully shares about ways to bring meaning to the word compassion. The author reminds us that compassion can be as simple as the “act of presence,” “just being there,” and “showing up.” The most impactful aspect of this TED Talk is the reminder that compassion takes daily practice! The more we do it, the more it becomes an infectious part of who we are and how we live.
4. Are We Wired To Be Compassionate?
“The logic behind being nice to other people is growing stronger and stronger.”
In this interesting TED Talk the speaker discusses how we may be “wired to be compassionate.” We are reminded that technology has made our fates more and more intertwined, and we’re designed to be nicer to people if our fate is intertwined with others’.” The author concludes that as we enter a more global society, the concept of compassion will be even more important.
5. How Can We Make The World More Compassionate?
When you implement the golden rule . . . “you dethrone yourself from the center of your world, put another there, and you transcend yourself.”
The speaker of this TED Talk shares the simplicity and importance of the Golden Rule. She challenges us to ask ourselves daily “if this is how you would like to be treated” when dealing with others. She leaves us with the reminder to “not confine your own compassion to your own group” but have “concern for everybody.”
6. Why Aren’t We More Compassionate?
“All it took was the simple act of noticing.”
The speaker of this insightful TED Talk reveals that one of the most important factors for sharing compassion is the amount of perceived time we feel we have. If we’re not mindful to what is going on around us, we may miss the opportunity to be compassionate. He closes his TED Talk with a story of how he inspired others around him to help a homeless man who had collapsed in the subway station. “The simple act of noticing” is key to exercising compassion.
The Full TED Talk Hour on Compassion can be found here.
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=3&islist=true&id=57&d=12-19-2014
Lily Balasuriya is currently a 4th year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Her passions in medicine include providing culturally competent and compassionate care to minority and underserved populations.