TEDxInnsbruck - Stefan Klein - Survival of the Nicest: Why Sharing Pays off
Physicist, Essayist, and Science Writer, Germany
Stefan Klein is one of the most influential science writers in Europe. He studied physics and analytical philosophy in Munich, Grenoble and Freiburg, and earned a doctorate in biophysics.
From 1996 to 1999 he was editor at Der Spiegel, Germany's foremost news magazine, and for Zeit-Magazin, he regularly interviews leading scientists around the globe. Klein has received numerous awards for his publications.
Klein shows how we as individuals benefit from altruistic behavior—and why our society cannot function without it. In an ever more interconnected world, generosity is the means to achieve personal and societal success. Doing unto others enhances our personal satisfaction, improves our health, and even raises our life expectancy. This talk establishes how natural evolution has hard wired humans to work for one another's benefit -- and how cultural evolution works for ever stronger norm of fairness and generosity. On a more practical side, neuroscience has recently demonstrated that altruism activates the same mechanisms in the brain as enjoying a sexual encounter or eating a chocolate bar -- and the effects are longer lasting! By contrast, studies now lay to rest the notion that money buys happiness. The key to prolonging contentment in life, Klein shows persuasively, lies in helping others. On a more practical side, neuroscience has recently demonstrated that altruism activates the same mechanisms in the brain as enjoying a sexual encounter or eating a chocolate bar -- and the effects are longer lasting! By contrast, studies now lay to rest the notion that money buys happiness. The key to prolonging contentment in life, Klein shows persuasively, lies in helping others.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
