The Best of Big Think

The great investor instinctively knew that humans are much smarter than computers in volatile environments. So he bet on common sense.

«Innovation obsolesces yesterday. In business, the data you gathered from last quarter can therefore be used to calculate … last quarter.»

Technology, shifting rules, and human ambition push athletes beyond biology’s perceived limits.

Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of AI.

The “dystopian” biotech imagined in these novels is now changing real lives for the better.

A big open question in 21st century science is how life began here on Earth. The metabolism-first scenario just might be the best one.

The "Creativity Pioneers" proving that imaginationis a practical tool for social transformation.

Sign up for Big Think on Substack The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free. For most of human history, movement was inseparable from survival.…

Timeless guidance on communication, time management, creativity, and more from some of today’s most influential thinkers.

Sign up for Big Think Books A dedicated space for exploring the books and ideas that shape our world. “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.…

Carl Sagan's baloney detection kit taught us how to separate good science from the work of charlatans. In 2026, that matters more than ever.

Biotech will offer us longevity, and we can harness downstream "superpowers" to improve key skills and live much better as we age.

«I had to do what I was always telling other people to do if they wanted more flow in their lives: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.»

It is widely believed that it is normal to become less physically active as you get older. But this is a pernicious myth about exercise.

We all have our secrets. They weight heavily upon us, make us unhappy, and cause anxiety. We ought to let them out.

«confession is not only about opening up to the world. It’s also about confessing to ourselves. It’s the truth found in one of the most famous quotes of philosophy: “the unexamined life is not worth living.”»

Sign up for Big Think on Substack The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free. Anxiety doesn’t vanish with practice. In fact, in actor Jesse Eisenberg’s…

Sometimes, it’s really hard to be happy. And there’s a reason for that: The human brain isn’t hard-wired for happiness. Why? Because happiness isn’t essential for survival. To make matters worse, our…

«Miswanting is the act of trying to go for certain things that we assume are gonna make us feel happy, but then they don't make us as happy as we think.»

Why is grandma so relaxed? Is it coping skills? Cognitive decline? A new study asks whether old age brings increased happiness, and why.

«ge still report higher psychologic»

By all accounts, Philipp Meyer is a talented writer. He has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His novels have been compared to the pantheon of Faulkner,…

«Coaches help others recognize their strengths as a building block of their potential. They also offer constructive criticism to help others shore up their shortcomings and energize them to do better tomorrow.»

The tech world’s fixation on artificial intelligence has spawned beliefs and rituals that resemble religion — complete with digital deities, moral codes, and threats of damnation.

When we set insurmountable and unrealistic goals, it's easy to get demoralized and just give up. Kaizen offers us another (better) way.

«There’s something wrong with each of us. Even if you tried to live a faultless, blameless, perfect life, there is always something left to criticize.»

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people Daniel Dennett spent his career as a philosopher studying the mind, but by his own…

«“I think the best advice to give to the non-expert when confronted with a dubious theory is a little modesty,” Dennett said.»

We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: general relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don't work together.

The quantum world defies our ability to describe it in words. Human experience does not prepare us for its weirdness and uncertainty.

Brain development is a highly complex process that is strongly influenced by the environment in which a child is raised, with the earliest years of life being especially important for the emergence of…

«From the evidence that is currently available, it is clear that talking to babies plays a substantial role in the development of language circuitry in their brains.»

Science is full of drama. One century we’re basing the treatment of ailments on the four humors, then over two thousand years later, we find out it’s actually microbes messing with our bodies. For Dr…

The observable Universe is 92 billion light-years in diameter. These pictures put just how large that is in perspective.

Is science absolute? Its truths and discoveries guide us towards the nature of reality, but we must always remain open-minded to revisions.

From Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk, the most successful people in the world share one thing: they allocate time in the day to learning.

«5-hour rule.” In short, this is the rule where we spend one hour a day learning, reflecting, and thinking. The rule dates to Benjamin Franklin»

Any success formula must start with your values and life goals. Here are five ways to find those and set yourself up for success.

«Success isn’t a condition without failure; it’s the condition of overcoming failure and improving.»

Modern conditions have overwhelmed our brain's attention system, but research shows 12 minutes of mindfulness training a day can help.

«Similarly, a negative mood can signal that something is wrong. That unease can propel you to solve the problem and lift the emotional pall.»

It can be challenging to express your thoughts clearly. Alan Alda recommends three rules of three for effective and empathic communication.

«Maybe this sounds familiar: You’re expressing a difficult idea, thought, or feeling, and at the moment, it seems to be going well. Your audience is nodding at the appropriate beats. Your cadence has an uncharacteristic flow and eloquence. You even snuck in the world profligate and are 90% sure you used it properly. (Well, 80% sure. Definitely going to look it up later.)»

Listening to some songs can cause a powerful physiological response known as "frisson." What is it, and why does it happen?

«While it is understood that appreciation of beauty is central to what makes us human, it is not clear to researchers what»

Journalist Steven Kotler offers tips for how to reach a psychological flow state, granting peak mental performance.

«Curiosity can lead you to become passionate about something, which can in turn drive that thing to give you purpose. The activity itself becomes fulfilling. It is the means and the end.»

When it comes to living your best life, Albert Einstein — notorious as the greatest physicist and genius of his time, and possibly of all-time — probably isn’t the first name you think of in terms of…

«Blind obedience to authority is the greatest enemy of the truth.” In the era of fake news, this lesson is more important to assimilate than ever»