“Consciousness is fundamental. It’s a fundamental property of the world that we inhabit, a fundamental property of the universe.”

The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.

“The messy reality of it is that all of these very smart people, including Isaac Newton, were talking to other people.”

“When you start to accept that you have profound influence on the world, but very limited control, you start to see the world differently.”

“In most instances, ‘good enough’ is good enough.” A time management expert, a cognitive scientist, and a psychologist share their takes on productivity, perfectionism, and the harm of hustle culture.

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, scientists have really started to understand the fundamental underlying biology of the aging process. And they broke this down into 12 hallmarks of aging.”

“Everyone’s image of [Ancient Rome] is based on modern movies. In some ways, I think those were rather impressive, but they got some things terribly wrong.”

If you’ve gotten goosebumps when hearing a story about a stranger’s selfless heroism, or you’ve felt your chest swell at a concert, when the audience’s voice and the musician’s instruments align, you have felt awe. And, according to professor Dacher Keltner, who has spent his life studying it, it’s one of humankind’s most unifying traits:

“There would be something very, very empty and meaningless about [a] sort of life with no problems.”

From neuroscience to philosophy, experts reveal why compassion may be the most important human skill we have.

“The idea is that we move from a place of wanting the world to conform to what we like [towards] not needing other people to be different from who they are.”

“Let me walk you through the biggest traps that you should be aware of that are a danger to your financial wellbeing.”

Philosophy asks if free will is real. Neuroscience reveals why the answer is more complicated than we expected.

If the people controlling AI are biased, the output will also be. Free speech scholar Jacob Mchangama makes the case for completely open-source AI.

“Deep down the natural endpoint of this whole goal of looking for planets is to answer the question: are we alone?”

“No matter what their gods were, what they did for a living, what they wore, the songs they sang, everything varies except love, and everybody loves.”

“The universe clicks along in perfect accord with the laws of physics forever.”

Daily habits can help you thrive or quietly turn into addictions. The difference is how your brain handles cues, routines, and rewards. Three experts explain how to work with your wiring instead of against it.

Is gratitude to a deity different from gratitude to other people? Psychology and neuroscience professor Sarah Schnitker explains.

“It’s certainly clear that the issues of boys and men haven’t gone away in the last few years. If anything, they’re getting even more attention, which is good when it’s the right kind of attention.”

“As a reporter, you can look into the eyes of the people you’re talking to and try to evaluate what they’re thinking when they say what they say. But you are not really gonna get into their brain. There’s only one artistic form that allows you to do that. “

“The way my mind works is just out of anxiety and catastrophization.”

Language is a huge part of human development, even the language we keep to ourselves. Three experts explain how words and beliefs can change our brains and our lives:

When Jesus was crucified, it led to even more followers. When books are banned, people flock to read them. Humans are fascinated by the forbidden, which is why censorship – especially in the digital age – doesn’t work. Jacob Mchangama explains.

“One of the largest mitigating factors against getting traumatized is who is there for you at that particular time.”

“Could black holes be the key to a quantum theory of gravity, a deeper theory of how reality, of how space and time works? Well, I think so.”

Sleeping better helps you think better, which helps you live better. Three experts explain why quality sleep is imperative to brain function, problem solving, communication, and more.

“The media is 10x more likely to describe experiences of being alone as negative, as compared to positive.” Psychologist Ethan Kross shares how reframing the idea of loneliness can help us feel more peace when we’re on our own.

“This is a world in which we’ve essentially given ourselves the tools to stop the construction of the most important product in American lives in the places where Americans often most want to move.”