TED Talk Tuesday: Rory Sutherland says Perspective is Everything

Today's TED talk gives us lots of food for thought. Rory Sutherland, an ad man, talks about psychological solutions for real life problems. He charges us to change perception in order to change reality, or at least, to change perspective in order to be happier with reality.

Plus, Rory is pretty funny. :) It is my perception that things are funnier when said in a British accent. :)

Here's the description:

The circumstances of our lives may matter less than how we see them, says Rory Sutherland. At TEDx Athens, he makes a compelling case for how reframing is the key to happiness.

Warning: use headphones if there are children present--he occasionally swears. :)


Can't view the TED talk? Here's the link. 

I have to admit, when he was talking about the study with the dogs and the electric floor, I thought of writers. The button in the box is self-publishing. As writers, how much more control do we feel over our destiny, just because that button is there? Even if we never push it?

I also feel like this discussion of psychological framework adds credibility to Jane's understanding of why we can be more successful at life if we treat it like a game.

And, gives us an understanding of the psychological solution Charlie Todd found to combat boredom on that huge subway escalator.

Things are starting to tie together. :)

And these things are important.

If perception is leaky, and if psychological solutions are crucial ways to solve problems, then what does this mean for us? As writers, I think that we deal chiefly in psychological solutions. We don't make something concrete, like knitted socks. We share ideas through words. Ideas which become a shared psychological experience when people read those words.  Does this TED talk make us think of that product in a different light?

Or does it make us feel differently about how we deal with our own psychological struggle to produce our writing on a daily basis? If we don't prefer to revise, for example, (I just picked that example out of the air, really I did :)) can we find a psychological solution for this? Can we find a way to change our perspective in order to change our reality?

What connections did you make during this talk?

Oh, and please don't forget to buy a book or participate in our write-a-thon this Friday!