Big Think

Big Think Home

Body language expert: 7 cues that make you instantly more likable

Body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards shares her formula to create a lasting first impression.

with Vanessa Van Edwards

A big myth about first impressions is that your first impression happens the moment you start talking. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your first impression happens the moment someone first sees you. That means you only have a few seconds, sometimes less than a second, to form that foundation of trust that you need for an entire interaction.

A woman sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop set against a scenic lake and mountain landscape at sunset. 57mins

Featured Classes

Browse All
A grayscale photo of a woman with hoop earrings, set against an orange background and overlaid on a black and white abstract digital pattern.
Members
6 videos
Transform Your Organization with AI
Daphne Koller
Founder and CEO of insitro.
Elderly man with glasses and a white beard, photographed in cool tones with an orange transparent square overlay.
Members
7 videos
Tools for Thinking Critically
Daniel C. Dennett
Philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist
A quadrant image showing three jets in flight, a right arrow symbol, a clock icon, and a man’s face in grayscale.
Members
10 videos
A TOPGUN’s Guide to Elite Performance
Guy Snodgrass
TOPGUN Graduate and Instructor, Ret., and Author “TOPGUN’s Top 10”
A four-panel image featuring orange chevrons, a detective silhouette with a magnifying glass, a grayscale portrait of a woman, and a stylized eye on a green background.
Members
6 videos
How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes
Maria Konnikova
New York Times Best-Selling Author, Journalist and Professional Poker Player
A woman with long blonde hair smiles softly at the camera; the photo has an orange tint and is set against a light green background with simple geometric shapes.
Members
4 videos
Collaborate Intelligently
Angie McArthur
President, Bleeker
A stylized collage featuring a woman's face, abstract patterns, and a winding arrow in green, red, and black on a divided background.
Members
7 videos
How to Rewire Your Brain for Learning
Barbara Oakley
Professor of engineering
Books

The literary invention that places you in the chaos of war

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Angel Down, Daniel Kraus uses a single unbroken sentence to convey the psychological toll of being a soldier in World War I.

by Tim Brinkhof
A grayscale illustration of a muscular figure with curly hair, viewed from behind, appears to be dissolving into scattered particles on a white background, evoking the somber beauty of an angel down.
Philosophy

How AI is quietly changing what we think the human mind is

Neuroscientist Anil Seth on the deep differences between human minds and artificial ones.

by Shai Tubali
A digital illustration of a human brain outlined in white, composed of circuit-like lines, set against a black background with scattered white dots resembling stars.
Two beach umbrellas, one striped and one red, shade a folding chair with a towel draped over it on the sandy beach—inviting you to rest and unwind by the shore.
To access your creativity, start playing
Humans are naturally creative, but adulthood often teaches us to value productivity over play.

by Rachael Renae

A spreadsheet with tan cells displays a pixelated red frowning face made by filling selected cells.

FIND US ON SUBSTACK

White letter "B" inside a rectangle next to a white letter "T" with an underline, all on a solid black background.

Big Think

Our main hub on Substack.

 A red graphic with the title "MINI PHILOSOPHY" and three black icons: a direction sign, scales, and a dove; text at the bottom reads "with Jonny Thomson.

Mini Philosophy

Your daily dose of thoughtfulness.

 A colorful supernova remnant in space, surrounded by stars, with the text "STARTS WITH A BANG" at the bottom.

Starts with a Bang

Understand the universe better.

 Illustration of a peacock and foliage partially covering the word "BOOKS" in bold black letters on a light background.

Big Think Books

Explore the writers and ideas that have shaped our world.

 White text "B T business" on a black background with a grid of small blue dots. The letters "B" and "T" are enclosed in square borders.

Big Think Business

The latest industry insights.
Black text on a light background reads "Explore our LIBRARY" with "Explore" in large font and "our LIBRARY" in smaller, uppercase font underneath.

What would you like to learn more about? We have thousands of videos from the world’s biggest thinkers to help you dive deeper into any subject.

A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop in a library with brick walls, wooden floor, shelves of books, and large windows.
1hr 26mins
The strongest arguments for and against the existence of God
Alex O'Connor

Cosmic skeptic and public speaker
A man with glasses and a gray beard stands in front of illustrations of three classical columns, each with a different capital style.
22mins
Why stoicism fails when treated like self-help
Massimo Pigliucci

Author and professor of philosophy
Members
Elderly man with glasses and a white beard, photographed in cool tones with an orange transparent square overlay.
7 videos 39m
Tools for Thinking Critically
Daniel C. Dennett

Philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist
A person sitting on a chair in a studio setting with a white backdrop and two small tables on either side, each holding a small plant.
11mins
The hard problem of consciousness
Annaka Harris

Best-selling author
A black and white pointillism illustration of a person viewed from behind, looking toward abstract, textured shapes in the background.
2mins
Why be happy when you could be interesting?
Slavoj Žižek

Philosopher and cultural critic
A person sitting on a chair with legs crossed in front of a white backdrop in a spacious room with wooden floors and large windows.
32mins
Love, sex, and happiness, explained by philosophy
Jonny Thomson

Author and philosopher
A man in a suit stands facing a large human eye, positioned at the center of the pupil as if about to step inside.
1hr 12mins
The science of consciousness is solving the biggest illusion in our universe
Anil Seth

Neuroscientist, author, and public speaker
An older man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop in a modern, brightly lit room with colorful pillows and minimalist decor.
16mins
The happiness shortcut that hides in plain sight
Robert Waldinger

Professor of psychiatry
A person sits pensively with name tags around them reading "Hello, I'm a... writer? bookstore owner? father?.
5mins
The art of perception and self-reflection
Ryan Holiday

Best-selling author
A black silhouette with two overlapping human profiles facing opposite directions on a green background.
6mins
How your brain creates reality, explained by a neuroscientist
Lisa Feldman Barrett

Author and professor of psychology
Geometric abstract design featuring overlapping white wireframe curves forming a symmetrical star shape on a black background, evoking the cosmic elegance of the big bang. The great Big Bang misconception
Michelle Thaller

Astronomer and science communicator
A person sits on a chair with hands clasped, facing forward. Blue waveforms and dots form a digital backdrop behind them.
1hr 19mins
The quantum roots of reality
Brian Cox

Author and science communicator
A petri dish with a red agar medium shows various colonies of bacteria growing, with dense streaks on the right and scattered colonies on the left.
13mins
How chance and error shaped every living being on Earth
Sean B. Carroll

Biologist and film producer
A person sits on a chair in a library setting, with bookshelves on either side and a white backdrop behind them.
1hr 17mins
We can tackle our biggest environmental problems
Hannah Ritchie

Data scientist and researcher
A man in a suit sits on a chair against a yellow background with abstract blue and green wave patterns behind him.
1hr 26mins
Sean Carroll explains why physics is both simple and impossible
Sean Carroll

Professor of natural philosophy
An older man in a suit and red tie sits on a chair against a white backdrop, with a colorful outer space scene in the background.
1hr 8mins
Michio Kaku wants to solve Einstein’s unfinished equation
Michio Kaku

Professor of theoretical physics
A person sits in front of a white backdrop, surrounded by a cosmic map with galaxies and celestial objects.
2hr 18mins
Where did our universe come from?
Ethan Siegel

Theoretical astrophysicist and science writer
Members
A stylized collage featuring a woman's face, abstract patterns, and a winding arrow in green, red, and black on a divided background.
7 videos 34m
How to Rewire Your Brain for Learning
Barbara Oakley

Professor of engineering
A mural shows an angel pointing toward a golden emblem, with rays emanating. Monks stand in reverence below, surrounded by flowers and architectural details.
13mins
Is AI aligned with our human interests?
Sam Harris

Philosopher and neuroscientist
A person in a suit sits on a chair against a cosmic background with galaxies and stars.
1hr 33mins
Searching for aliens and Earth 2.0
David Kipping

Astronomer
Person in a red sweater sitting on a stool in a bright studio with white walls and colorful striped rugs.
49mins
The 3 cognitive scripts that rule over your life
Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist and entrepreneur.
Detailed black and white sketch of a baboon’s head in profile, showing its expressive face and rough fur, on a solid yellow background.
8mins
Why humans are surprisingly bad at being happy
Laurie Santos

Professor of psychology
Members
A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop, with bookshelves and lamps in the background, raising his hands in a questioning gesture.
10 videos 55m
Leading Through Anxiety
Jesse Eisenberg

Actor, writer and director
Silhouettes of two people face each other closely, with warm light casting their shadows on a wall.
1hr 25mins
The science-backed guide to having better sex
Emily Nagoski

Sex educator & author
heal trauma
8mins
6 ways to heal trauma without medication, from the author of “The Body Keeps the Score”
Bessel van der Kolk

Psychiatrist and neuroscientist
A man in a suit sits on a chair in front of a white door, surrounded by a vibrant, abstract swirl of red, pink, blue, yellow, and green colors.
2hr 9mins
How one psychedelic trip can alter an entire lifetime
Matthew W. Johnson

Professor of psychedelics
A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop with vibrant, rainbow-colored abstract patterns in the background.
1hr 2mins
Become stronger: Jumpstart your anti-fragile systems
Tal Ben-Shahar

Positive psychologist
A man with short, grayish hair, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, stares directly at the camera against a black background.
9mins
Your mind is all you have. Is yours working?
Sam Harris

Philosopher and neuroscientist
5mins
Why divergent thinkers beat geniuses in the real world
David Epstein

Author
Members
A wall clock is combined with the silhouette of a snail against a textured blue and light blue background.
8 videos 49m
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport

Computer scientist and author
A person stands inside a glowing circle with sparks flying around in arcs, capturing the essence of "What is flow state," as the word "FLOW" appears in bold white letters across the center. How to enter “flow state” on command
Steven Kotler

Author
Members
A bald man wearing a dark blazer and black shirt smiles slightly against a plain light gray background.
10 videos 58m
Unlocking Your Team’s Hidden Potential
Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist and author
A man in a blue shirt sits in front of a vivid blue and turquoise swirling abstract background.
1hr 34mins
How to think creatively on command
Tiago Forte

Productivity expert
A silhouette of a person climbing up the edge of a steep cliff against a beige background.
8mins
Why skill plateaus are inevitable – and how to push past them
Atul Gawande

Professor and author
A man in a light blue shirt sits on a chair in a white studio with a teal background featuring graphs and charts.
1hr
How your cognitive biases lead to terrible investing behaviors
Barry Ritholtz

Business leader and author
A group of colorful poker chips, including red, blue, black, and green, fall through the air against a black background.
5mins
Habits of highly successful risk-takers
Nate Silver

Statistician
A woman with curly hair, wearing a red blouse, smiles at the camera against a plain white background.
4mins
Ask smarter questions in 5 minutes
Natalie Nixon

Creativity strategist & CEO
Members
A person with short curly hair and glasses smiles at the camera, with a geometric red and green background behind them.
7 videos 31m
How to Build Influence That Lasts
Linda Hill

Professor of business
A digitally edited image showing a conductor’s hands, one holding a baton, against a red background with motion blur and light streaks.
5mins
Are you a visionary – or a follower? Here’s how to step up
Simon Sinek

Ethnographer and author
Illustration of two boxers in vintage-style attire, with one boxer extending a punch toward the other against a yellow background.
4mins
How to argue like a debate world champion
Bo Seo

Champion debater
10mins
The mind-blowing chaos that underpins the world
Brian Klaas

Professor of global politics
15mins
The mind-blowing stats on male inequality
Richard Reeves

Writer and social scientist
A person with long white hair sits smiling on a chair, set against a painted backdrop of classical architecture and a sky with clouds.
1hr 18mins
The truth of Ancient Rome hides under its myth of decadence
Mary Beard

Author and historian
A middle-aged man with glasses and long hair stands indoors, wearing a floral-patterned shirt. The background is softly blurred with kitchen and living room elements visible.
15mins
Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime
Peter Leyden

Peter Leyden is a longtime tech expert and thought leader on the future.
7mins
Why the world is going crazy—and how to win back our minds
Jamie Wheal

Author
A person sits alone on a bench against a yellow background, looking down at a smartphone.
12mins
The great friendship collapse: inside the anti-social century
Derek Thompson

Writer and podcaster
A person sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop in a loft-style room with brick walls, dark flooring, and two windows.
1hr 18mins
Conflict, crisis, consumption: What’s eating our nation?
Amanda Ripley

Author
A military-style, decorated uniform and cap with no visible wearer, set against a solid black background, evokes powerful imagery that prompts viewers to consider themes such as authority and questions like what is fascism.
9mins
The 10 tactics of fascism
Jason Stanley

Professor of philosophy
Members
A person with glasses and a bald head is looking slightly to the side, centered in a green-tinted square frame.
6 videos 26m
AI and the Future of Civilization
Yuval Noah Harari

Historian and philosopher
A person with short gray hair, wearing a dark jacket and a gray-blue scarf, looks at the camera against a plain light background.
13mins
Berkeley professor explains gender theory
Judith Butler

Professor and philosopher
Browse All Videos
A seated audience waits at an indoor event under pink lighting. The words "BIG THINK EVENTS" appear at the top left of the image. A "Big Think" magazine titled "The Consciousness Issue" on a desk with a laptop, phone, book, notepad, pencil, and dice. A framed cosmic-themed chart, black "Big Think" hat, black T-shirt, and black notebook displayed under the "Big Think Store" logo on a light background. A collage of portraits, anatomical drawings, a close-up of two people, an image of Earth, and the text “Big Think on YouTube” at the bottom.
The text "MINI PHILOSOPHY" is written in bold, uppercase black letters on a white background.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with Jonny Thomson
A silhouette of an adult holding a young child, both faces partially visible, embodies the tenderness of parenting against a soft, gradient blue and beige background. Do parents know best? 3 experiments that tried to replace moms and dads
The family might be a terrible way to raise kids. But it's the best we have.
Jonny Thomson
A silhouette of a seated person with colorful gaming achievement icons, such as trophies and badges, where their head would be, on a green background. How gamification can ruin your life
The cartoon owl wants to have a word.
Jonny Thomson
A classical painting depicts Kairos, a winged, bearded man with curly hair, holding a pair of golden scales against a light blue background. Kairos: The ancient Greek art of knowing when to act
A white rabbit appears up ahead. What do you do?
Jonny Thomson
Black and white film strips show a man in a suit making various facial expressions, channeling a Dali-like flair as he holds a cane to his face in one frame. The Dalí trick: The strange psychology of becoming who you want to be
Who do you want to be today?
Jonny Thomson
Text graphic reading “The Big Think Interview” in bold, uppercase letters with a horizontal line and a downward-facing angle on the left.
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
A man wearing glasses and a navy blazer speaks while gesturing with his hands against a plain white background.
9mins
The trick that offloads intrusive thoughts so your brain can actually work
David Epstein, author of Range and Inside the Box, breaks down what's actually happening inside the brain when we multitask, and why "just focusing" is a solution that doesn't hold up to reality.
David Epstein
A man wearing glasses and a dark blazer gestures with his left hand while looking forward against a plain light background.
19mins
The unpopular truth about the myth of the lone genius
David Epstein argues that the myth of the lone genius is a story we tell, but the actual history of innovation is far more interesting.
David Epstein
4mins
Play this card game to solve your team’s biggest problem
The $25 card game that unlocks high-achieving teams.
David Sherwin
A man with short blond hair and a beard wearing a black blazer over a maroon shirt sits against a plain light background, facing the camera.
21mins
The 6 triggers of aversion and how to defeat each one
In goal setting, Chris Bailey argues the problem isn't discipline; it's the system itself.
Chris Bailey
Black text on a white background says "STARTS WITH A BANG," with "WITH A" in a smaller, outlined font between "STARTS" and "BANG.
The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
with Ethan Siegel
Move over, giant meteor. Here’s what the largest comet would do to Earth
Oort cloud object Bernardinelli–Bernstein has the largest known cometary nucleus: 119 km wide. An impact with Earth would be catastrophic.
Ethan Siegel
transit spectroscopy PLATO 10 big questions about the search for life beyond Earth
The Universe took a great many steps to create not just life, but intelligent life, here at home. What can we say about life beyond Earth?
Ethan Siegel
The scientific value, and limits, of the Anthropic Principle
The anthropic principle has fascinating scientific uses, where the simple fact of our existence holds deep physical lessons. Don't abuse it!
Ethan Siegel
warm-hot intergalactic medium sculptor wall From the smallest to the biggest objects in space
Vast arrays of planets, stars, black holes, galaxies, and more populate our Universe. Within each category, differences can be astounding.
Ethan Siegel
The word "BOOKS" with the second "O" stylized as an open book illustration.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
Book cover of "Socially Wired: How Culture Shapes Our Brains" by Matthew W. Schelke, featuring a colorful neural network illustration on a light background that highlights the connection between brain and meaning. The overlooked brain system shaping our motivations
Our motivations and sense of self may be more deeply shaped by our connections and social history than we think.
Matthew W. Schelke
The word "nihilism" in bold black font, evoking the mood of literary classics, is scratched out with rough, black scribble marks. 5 literary classics that grapple with the void of nihilism
From mysterious villages to absurdism at the gallows, these books explore the origins, consequences, and possible responses to nihilism.
Scotty Hendricks
Book cover of "The Shortest History of Soccer" by Brian D. Bunk, featuring a green background, white and yellow text, and a soccer ball illustration at the bottom—perfect for those curious about the origin of soccer. Long before FIFA, these brutal folk games gave birth to soccer
Soccer emerged from chaotic folk games, elite school rivalries, and evolving rules that transformed a rough pastime into the beautiful game.
Brian D. Bunk
Book cover with a red background titled "Private Power and Democracy’s Decline: How to Make Capitalism Support Democracy" by Mordecai Kurz, exploring the complex relationship between private power and democracy's decline. When “survival of the fittest” justified monopolies and the slow death of democracy
America’s first Gilded Age reveals how concentrated economic power erodes democracy and offers a warning as similar forces reemerge today.
Mordecai Kurz
Black and white "BT business" logo with stylized "B" and "T" letters inside a square, followed by the word "business" in bold lowercase font.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
Two scenes: Top shows climbers on an ice-covered terrain, embodying fun and success. Bottom captures an airplane in flight against a clear sky. Play it again: The causal link between fun and resilience
Fun in business is no laughing matter — it can create a golden strategic advantage and bring serious success in the long term.
Eric Markowitz
Four workers assemble a large wooden tank using scaffolding and ladders at an outdoor construction site, with stacks of materials in the background. The 250-year-old company that survived by refusing to lay people off
What would your company do if it lost all its customers at once?
Eric Markowitz
Book cover for "How Change Really Works" features multicolored lines radiating from a center, with one red line forming an arrow. The design reflects the dynamic process of transformation. Authors' names are displayed at the bottom. The 3 stories every leader needs to inspire successful transformations
Directives rarely inspire change. The most effective leaders use stories to make transformation memorable, resonant, and actionable.
Julia Dhar
A man stands in front of a collapsed wooden building with debris scattered around in an outdoor setting. How helping your rivals makes you harder to beat
A counterpoint to zero-sum thinking from Japan.
Eric Markowitz
The image shows the text "Strange Maps" in a stylized black font on a light background.
The world, seen sideways.
with Frank Jacobs
A color-coded map of the United States shows state-by-state data ranging from red (lower values) to green (higher values), with a scale from 102.6K to 133.0K. Follow the money: Mapping millionaire migration across America
Since 2018, around 103,000 millionaires moved out of California — and 133,000 millionaires moved in to Florida
Frank Jacobs
Children in vintage clothing play on a seesaw and gather nearby in a park setting with adults, trees, and classic playgrounds in the background. How playgrounds reinvented childhood
The modern playground was more than a place to play — it was a blueprint for a new kind of upbringing.
Frank Jacobs
Four maps of Ireland from 1800, 1850, 1900, and 2000 show a steady decline in areas where Irish is spoken natively, marked in green, nearly disappearing by 2000. The Irish language is having a moment — and running out of time
Gaeilge is trending culturally. So why is it, according to census data, also dying?
Frank Jacobs
World map showing global oil reserves, rare earth elements deposits (yellow dots), and major shipping routes and chokepoints, with oil reserves highlighted by pink circles of varying sizes. The Strait of Hormuz is today’s energy chokepoint. China is tomorrow’s.
As the global economy moves beyond oil, the strategic importance of the world’s most critical hydrocarbon chokepoint is likely to decline rapidly.
Frank Jacobs
The number 13.8 displayed in large, bold, black digits on a white background.
Where science meets the human story.
Illustration of Earth overlaid with a grid and energy types from the Kardashev Scale: Type I, II, and III, representing planetary, stellar, and galactic energy usage. A physicist explains what the Kardashev scale gets wrong
The famous framework ranks civilizations by energy use — but ignores a critical factor that can halt their progress.
Adam Frank
A split image explores the nature of life, with a gray rock on a dark background on the left and a colored microscopic view of a cell—hinting at intelligence—in vivid detail on the right. Why organisms are more than machines
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
Adam Frank
Three planets are silhouetted against deep space with a bright red star and nebula clouds in the background. Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger spoke with Big Think about how "the colors of life" could leave detectable traces on distant planets.
Adam Frank
A cylindrical space habitat with green landscapes and rivers, viewed from inside; two moons and a bright sun-like object are visible through large windowed sections. The next great leap in evolution may lie beyond Earth
NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.
Adam Frank
Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.
© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.