What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh
-
0:19 - 0:21I'm really excited to be here;
-
0:21 - 0:23I'm excited to talk with you all,
-
0:23 - 0:26share some of what I know,
some of what I've learned. -
0:26 - 0:28But I'm also kind of confused.
-
0:28 - 0:33Because in my mind, TED Talks,
TEDx Talks, TEDxYouth Talks, -
0:33 - 0:37they're given by people
with a path and a vision. -
0:37 - 0:41And I still have no idea
what I want to be when I grow up. -
0:41 - 0:44I've been putting off having to choose.
-
0:45 - 0:48When I was very small,
I was told that I was smart. -
0:48 - 0:50And not just any kind of smart:
-
0:50 - 0:54I was told that I was scientifically
and mathematically inclined, -
0:54 - 0:56as opposed to someone like my brother
-
0:56 - 1:00who was deemed talented
in things like language and art. -
1:01 - 1:03I was told, "Girls can too,"
-
1:03 - 1:05which was a phrase meant to inspire me
-
1:05 - 1:09to keep studying mathematics
and go into the hard sciences. -
1:09 - 1:12I was told about my dad's work
for the Air Force, -
1:12 - 1:16about how he always wished
he had completed his pilot's license, -
1:16 - 1:19and how when he was a kid,
he used to build rockets. -
1:20 - 1:24I was told bedtime stories
of Shannon Lucid and Sally Ride, -
1:24 - 1:26and if I wanted to stay up late
to watch a shuttle launch, -
1:26 - 1:28my parents let me.
-
1:28 - 1:31It's no surprise that I wanted
to be an astronaut. -
1:31 - 1:32At five,
-
1:32 - 1:36I could have told you I wanted to earn
my bachelor's degree from Annapolis, -
1:36 - 1:37become a jet jockey,
-
1:37 - 1:39and then apply to NASA.
-
1:39 - 1:43Everyone was so proud
and so impressed at this little kid -
1:43 - 1:46with this well-thought-out
and well-researched life. -
1:47 - 1:51But when I was 14,
I stopped really caring about school. -
1:51 - 1:54Our country was two years into a new war,
-
1:54 - 1:57and as I started to learn
more about the military, -
1:57 - 2:00I realized I didn't want to be
a part of that system. -
2:00 - 2:04Despite being one of the most common paths
to becoming an astronaut, -
2:04 - 2:07I started to find
I didn't want to go Annapolis, -
2:07 - 2:09I didn't want to be a jet jockey,
-
2:09 - 2:12I didn't want to become an astronaut.
-
2:12 - 2:13This thing,
-
2:13 - 2:17this goal that I had been pointed at
by parents and teachers and friends, -
2:17 - 2:20this piece of my identity,
-
2:20 - 2:22was suddenly gone.
-
2:23 - 2:25I had lost my destiny.
-
2:26 - 2:28I felt like such a disappointment,
-
2:28 - 2:30like whatever I did
for the rest of my life, -
2:30 - 2:32no matter how well I did it,
-
2:32 - 2:37it would always be in the shadow
of this monumental failure, -
2:38 - 2:40a failure to even get started.
-
2:41 - 2:44Luckily, the grownups
weren't completely wrong. -
2:44 - 2:48I still depend on mankind's number one
evolutionary advantage: -
2:48 - 2:50our brains.
-
2:50 - 2:52We don't have the biggest brains
in the animal kingdom, -
2:52 - 2:54not by a long shot.
-
2:54 - 2:57But this is the prefrontal cortex,
-
2:57 - 3:01and we've evolved to have really big ones
when compared to the rest of our brains. -
3:02 - 3:03The prefrontal cortex is responsible
-
3:03 - 3:08for everything that we think
that make us different from other animals. -
3:08 - 3:11It's responsible for executive function.
-
3:11 - 3:14It's responsible
for our ability to empathize, -
3:14 - 3:16our ability to think ahead and plan,
-
3:16 - 3:18predict what's going to happen
in the future. -
3:18 - 3:20It's responsible for social control.
-
3:21 - 3:26Our really big prefrontal cortexes
makes us problem-solving machines. -
3:26 - 3:28We're decisions makers.
-
3:29 - 3:30When presented with a list of options,
-
3:30 - 3:34we're not only able to quickly
and efficiently make a choice, -
3:34 - 3:37but we're able to generate new options
-
3:37 - 3:40from outside of
the originally defined set. -
3:40 - 3:43Think of all of the choices
that you're making right now, -
3:43 - 3:45just sitting in this theater.
-
3:45 - 3:48You're choosing not to get up
and start dancing. -
3:49 - 3:51You're choosing to listen.
-
3:51 - 3:53You're choosing not to wet your pants,
-
3:53 - 3:54(Laughter)
-
3:54 - 3:55I hope.
-
3:55 - 3:56(Laughter)
-
3:56 - 3:57Most of these choices
-
3:57 - 4:02your brain makes without you having
to devote any conscious awareness to them. -
4:02 - 4:05But some choices, like what to be
when you will grow up, -
4:05 - 4:07are a much, much bigger deal.
-
4:07 - 4:09Since closing the door
on being an astronaut, -
4:09 - 4:13my education background
has been in economics, political science, -
4:13 - 4:17mathematics, neuroeconomics
and neurobiology. -
4:17 - 4:18Which basically means
-
4:18 - 4:20when I was presented
with a list of majors in college, -
4:20 - 4:22I just refused to make a decision
-
4:22 - 4:25and looked for the box
marked "All of the above." -
4:25 - 4:27(Laughter)
-
4:27 - 4:29But I'm going to let you in
on a little secret. -
4:29 - 4:34It turns out that economics,
neuroscience and political science -
4:34 - 4:37all actually study the exact same thing,
-
4:38 - 4:41which is, Why do people make
the decisions that they make, -
4:41 - 4:44sometimes even working
against their own best interest? -
4:45 - 4:49We see people working minimum-wage jobs
voting against minimum-wage hikes. -
4:50 - 4:54We see parents refusing to vaccinate
their otherwise healthy kids -
4:54 - 4:57despite the fact that
that is evolutionary disadvantageous -
4:57 - 5:00at both the individual
and societal levels. -
5:01 - 5:05We see teenagers who've been bombarded
with anti-smoking information -
5:05 - 5:06their whole lives,
-
5:06 - 5:10who know the risks
associated with smoking, -
5:10 - 5:11start anyway.
-
5:12 - 5:17And we as a society are so confused
about why people would do these things -
5:17 - 5:19that we use science and social science
-
5:19 - 5:22and TED Talks and crystal balls
and mathematics -
5:22 - 5:24to figure out why.
-
5:24 - 5:27Why would people do these things?
-
5:27 - 5:29And everybody does this.
-
5:29 - 5:34No one is immune from these breaks
in what economists call "rationality." -
5:34 - 5:39We all have things that can show us
predictably biased choices. -
5:40 - 5:41I'm going to give you an example.
-
5:41 - 5:43Let's play a game.
-
5:43 - 5:45I'm going to flip a coin -
it's a fair coin. -
5:45 - 5:49If the first flip comes up heads,
you get two dollars. -
5:49 - 5:50I flip it again;
-
5:50 - 5:53if it comes up heads a second time,
you get four dollars. -
5:53 - 5:56A third time, eight dollars.
-
5:57 - 6:00Fourth, 16, until the coin comes up tails.
-
6:00 - 6:02And then I pay you your money.
-
6:02 - 6:06So if the coin comes up heads five times
in a row before the first tails, -
6:06 - 6:08you get 32 dollars.
-
6:08 - 6:11If it come up 20 times in a row
before your first tails, -
6:11 - 6:14you get over a million dollars.
-
6:15 - 6:16So think to yourself,
-
6:16 - 6:20how much would you be willing to pay
to play this game? -
6:21 - 6:22If you're like most people,
-
6:22 - 6:25you'd be willing to pay
less than 25 dollars. -
6:26 - 6:28But if you played this game forever,
-
6:28 - 6:31you would be expected to make
an infinite amount of money, -
6:31 - 6:34no matter how much you paid per game.
-
6:34 - 6:36This game has an infinite expected value,
-
6:36 - 6:41and yet everybody has a point,
a number usually really low, -
6:41 - 6:44that they'd no longer
be willing to pay to play. -
6:45 - 6:46Here's another one.
-
6:46 - 6:49It's like getting your eyes
checked at the eye doctor: -
6:49 - 6:53I'm going to present A or B, and you'll
tell me which one you think is better. -
6:53 - 6:55So A, I give you a million dollars,
-
6:55 - 6:56just like that.
-
6:56 - 6:59Cold million, you walk away,
go home, it's wonderful. -
6:59 - 7:00Or B,
-
7:01 - 7:03you can take a gamble.
-
7:03 - 7:06There's an 89% chance
of winning a million dollars, -
7:06 - 7:12a 1% chance of winning nothing -
you walk home empty-handed - -
7:12 - 7:16and a 10% chance
at winning five million dollars. -
7:16 - 7:18Which would you choose?
-
7:19 - 7:21If you're like most people,
you'd actually choose A - -
7:21 - 7:23no risk, no gamble,
-
7:23 - 7:25you just walk away with the cold million.
-
7:26 - 7:29Here's the next one: choice C.
-
7:29 - 7:33There's a 89% chance
of getting zero dollars -
7:33 - 7:36and an 11% chance of getting a million,
-
7:36 - 7:40or D, there's a 90% chance
of getting zero dollars -
7:40 - 7:43and a 10% chance of getting five million.
-
7:44 - 7:46This time, if you're like most people,
-
7:46 - 7:49you'd pick D and hope
for the five million. -
7:50 - 7:51But if we do some quick math,
-
7:51 - 7:56we actually find that
the first two choices are equivalent. -
7:56 - 7:58and that when it's framed one way,
-
7:58 - 7:59you pick A,
-
7:59 - 8:01and when it's framed another way,
-
8:01 - 8:02you pick D.
-
8:04 - 8:06Just based on how the information
is presented to you, -
8:06 - 8:10I can get you to pick door number one
or door number two. -
8:10 - 8:13And the weird thing is
that making any other decision -
8:13 - 8:15probably feels really wrong.
-
8:16 - 8:19It turns out that intuition
and economic rationality -
8:19 - 8:21don't always agree.
-
8:22 - 8:26So these are just two economic examples
of biases in decision making. -
8:26 - 8:28It turns out that
there's actually a lot of factors -
8:28 - 8:31that can predictably bias
what we choose. -
8:31 - 8:33The first was an example
-
8:33 - 8:36of inappropriately weighting
small probabilities. -
8:36 - 8:38There's less than a 3% chance
-
8:38 - 8:43that you'll win at least $32
in the quarter-flipping game, -
8:43 - 8:46and as a result, we have a hard time
even taking into account -
8:46 - 8:48the chance of making a million.
-
8:49 - 8:52This same bias is seen in people
who fail to vaccinate their kids. -
8:52 - 8:57If your unvaccinated child
only has a 5% chance of getting sick, -
8:57 - 8:59it's really hard to take into account
-
8:59 - 9:02the possible consequences
of them not being vaccinated, -
9:02 - 9:04which could be as high
as the child's life. -
9:05 - 9:08The second example is of a framing effect.
-
9:08 - 9:11This affects everything
from what cereal we buy at the store -
9:11 - 9:14to how we report judgments
of our own emotions. -
9:14 - 9:17For example, you're much more likely
to report being happy -
9:17 - 9:20if I ask, "Are you happy?"
-
9:20 - 9:23than if I ask, "Are you unhappy?"
-
9:23 - 9:26Other biases include
aversion to uncertainty -
9:26 - 9:28and making choices that try to avoid it.
-
9:28 - 9:31We can miss out on
some really great opportunities -
9:31 - 9:33by trying to avoid unknown unknowns.
-
9:33 - 9:37We're also biased by the number
of options that are presented to us. -
9:37 - 9:41Having a wide range of options,
it turns out, isn't always better. -
9:41 - 9:43It can make deciding harder
-
9:43 - 9:47and actually affect both our levels
of happiness and anxiety. -
9:48 - 9:50So how do these biases
affect big decisions -
9:50 - 9:52like what to be when you grow up?
-
9:53 - 9:55We're going to do
some quick audience participation. -
9:55 - 9:58Raise your hand if you've ever been told
-
9:58 - 10:01that you can be anything
you want to be when you grow up. -
10:03 - 10:06Yeah? You can put your hands down.
-
10:06 - 10:10Being told that you can be anything
you want feels pretty good. -
10:10 - 10:12It feels like you can live your life
-
10:12 - 10:15according to your own rules,
your owns wants, your own goals. -
10:15 - 10:17Like you can become
the person you want to be: -
10:17 - 10:20proud, successful, happy.
-
10:20 - 10:22It give you a feeling
of agency over your life, -
10:22 - 10:24a feeling of freedom.
-
10:25 - 10:27Life is an open field,
-
10:27 - 10:30and you can go anywhere you want to go.
-
10:30 - 10:33But humans don't have infinite time.
-
10:34 - 10:36While you may be able
to do anything you want, -
10:36 - 10:39you probably won't be able
to do everything you want. -
10:40 - 10:42Having to choose between so many options
-
10:42 - 10:46can be anxiety inducing
and detrimental to our happiness. -
10:46 - 10:50We as humans hate eliminating options,
-
10:50 - 10:53even if we know that
that's not a path we want to choose. -
10:53 - 10:55We feel like we're losing out on something
-
10:55 - 10:59simply by giving up
the possibility of something. -
11:00 - 11:02I want you to raise you hand
if you're even been told -
11:02 - 11:05anything similar to one of the statements
that I'm about to say. -
11:05 - 11:08Just put your hand up and leave it, okay?
-
11:08 - 11:14If you put your mind to it,
you could be really great at blank. -
11:15 - 11:17Whatever that is for you.
-
11:17 - 11:19If you dedicate your life to it,
-
11:19 - 11:21you could help cure cancer
-
11:21 - 11:25or do some other difficult
and yet very specific feat. -
11:26 - 11:27If you really try,
-
11:27 - 11:32you could win a Nobel Prize
or an Olympic gold medal or an Oscar. -
11:33 - 11:34How about this one?
-
11:34 - 11:37You'd make a really great astronaut.
-
11:37 - 11:38(Laughter)
-
11:38 - 11:40You can put your hands down.
-
11:40 - 11:44These statements are very different
from the first statement. -
11:44 - 11:47Well, both are meant
to motivate and inspire. -
11:47 - 11:50The first instills a sense
of freedom and agency. -
11:50 - 11:54The second implies a responsibility
to the path that's been laid out. -
11:55 - 11:57If this person is right,
-
11:57 - 12:01and I could help cure cancer
if I just devote my entire life to it, -
12:01 - 12:05then is it bad if I want to become
a professional cellist? -
12:05 - 12:08If I truly could win a Nobel Prize,
-
12:08 - 12:12am I depriving the world
by focusing on painting? -
12:13 - 12:15If I can be the next Meryl Streep,
-
12:15 - 12:18is it wrong that I want to code
for a tech startup? -
12:19 - 12:22If we're told that we can be
anything we want to be, -
12:22 - 12:24then we make our own decisions,
-
12:24 - 12:27bearing the stress and the anxiety
that come with that. -
12:27 - 12:29When someone else sets our path,
-
12:29 - 12:32we don't have to worry
about closing doors, -
12:32 - 12:34but we lose a sense of autonomy.
-
12:34 - 12:38And taking any other path
than the one laid out for us -
12:38 - 12:42feels like we're letting someone down
or doing something wrong. -
12:42 - 12:46The pressure that comes with being told
that you could be great at something, -
12:46 - 12:48that you have the potential
to win a Nobel Prize -
12:48 - 12:51or save the polar bears
or be an astronaut, -
12:51 - 12:53can actually prevent you
-
12:53 - 12:56from doing something
that you really want to do. -
12:57 - 13:01Almost every smart, talented
or hardworking person I know -
13:01 - 13:04has felt this pressure
at some point in their lives. -
13:04 - 13:08Even if they don't know exactly
what they want to be when they grow up, -
13:08 - 13:10being told that they could be great
at a specific thing -
13:10 - 13:14makes them feel responsible
for achieving that goal. -
13:14 - 13:17It's a responsibility
that is placed on them, -
13:17 - 13:22often accidentally,
by parents or teachers or friends, -
13:22 - 13:25and if it's internalized,
it can be destructive, -
13:25 - 13:27fueling anger or resentment.
-
13:28 - 13:31The possible anxiety
of having too many choices -
13:31 - 13:35doesn't seem so bad when it comes
with the freedom to set your own path. -
13:37 - 13:38I don't have the answers
-
13:38 - 13:41on how to decide
what to do with your life, -
13:41 - 13:45what doors to close
or what opportunities to pursue. -
13:45 - 13:48But it can help to recognize
that you have choices, -
13:48 - 13:50no one sets your path but you.
-
13:50 - 13:53But in case the anxiety
does start to get paralyzing, -
13:53 - 13:55I want to leave you with this:
-
13:55 - 13:58No matter what you choose
to do with your life - -
13:58 - 14:02and you can do anything,
including nothing at all - -
14:02 - 14:05you are still important,
-
14:05 - 14:06you are still worthy of love,
-
14:06 - 14:09and there will still be
people who love you. -
14:10 - 14:14Being smart or talented is a privilege.
-
14:14 - 14:18It allows you to do something,
possibly multiple things, -
14:18 - 14:22better, faster or easier
than the average person. -
14:22 - 14:27But being smart or talented
is not a responsibility. -
14:27 - 14:29It's not your job to save anyone;
-
14:29 - 14:32it's not your duty to fix anything;
-
14:32 - 14:35it's not your responsibility to create.
-
14:35 - 14:40You, just like everybody else
in this world, have only one job: -
14:41 - 14:42love.
-
14:43 - 14:45Love yourself,
-
14:45 - 14:48do your very, very best to love others,
-
14:48 - 14:51and whatever it is
you decide to do with your life, -
14:51 - 14:53do it for love.
-
14:54 - 14:56If you follow that, you can't go wrong.
-
14:56 - 14:57Thank you.
-
14:57 - 15:00(Applause)
- Title:
- What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh
- Description:
-
Have you ever been told that you could do anything you want to do with your life? Teagan Wall explores the rationality of our decision-making process when we are confronted with choices to make, including the choice of what to be when we grow up.
Dr. Teagan Wall, PhD, is an Emmy-nominated writer, speaker and science communicator. She has previously written for "Young Sheldon" on CBS, the Netflix original series "Bill Nye Saves the World" and PBS Digital Studio's "Braincraft." Additionally, Wall is a founding member of the Los Angeles-based Nerd Brigade, a collective of science communicators working to engage the public in scientific storytelling, encourage collaborations between scientists and media, and facilitate events consistent with these goals.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 15:07
Peter van de Ven edited English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Peter van de Ven approved English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Peter van de Ven accepted English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Peter van de Ven edited English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for What do you want to be when you grow up? | Teagan Wall | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh |