The 20 most popular TED Talks, as of this moment

Posted by: Kate Torgovnick May 

As 2013 draws to a close, TED is deeply humbled to have posted 1600+ talks, each representing an idea worth spreading. So which ideas have had the most widespread impact? Below, a look at the 20 most-watched talks as of December 2013. These viewership numbers include all the platforms we track: TED.com, YouTube, iTunes, embed and download, Hulu and more.

Some fascinating things to notice on this list, if you’d like to compare and contrast it to the most popular talks in 2012, and to the list we shared back in 2011: Amy Cuddy, Susan Cain, David Blaine and Pamela Meyer are all newcomers to the list, with Cuddy’s talk storming to spot #5 thanks to you sharing it. Meanwhile, Brene Brown’s talk has doubled in its number of views since 2012, with Simon Sinek and Mary Roach’s talks coming close to that line. And finally, Ken Robinson’s classic talk? Well, it has been played nearly 9 million times since last year alone.

But what really makes this list so incredible is the fact that it spans so many areas of interest, from education to happiness, statistics to creativity, tech demos to illusions. We love that this list revels in the wonders of the human brain, as well as in the incredible creatures of the deep sea, and far beyond.

1. Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (2006): 23,510,221 views
2. Jill Bolte Taylor‘s stroke of insight (2008): 14,343,197
3. Simon Sinek on how great leaders inspire action (2010): 14,228,854
4. Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability (2010): 12,703,623
5. Amy Cuddy on how your body language shapes who you are(2012): 12,682,694
6. Pranav Mistry on the thrilling potential of SixthSense (2009): 12,068,105
7. Tony Robbins asks why we do what we do (2006): 10,425,014
8. David Gallo‘s underwater astonishments (2007): 10,266,221
9. Mary Roach on 10 things you didn’t know about orgasm (2009): 9,435,954
10. Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation (2009): 9.176,053
11. Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense (2009): 8, 363,339
12. Dan Gilbert asks: Why are we happy? (2004): 7,788,151
13. Hans Rosling shows the best stats you’ve ever seen (2006): 7,685,726
14. Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing your creative genius (2009): 7,593,076
15. Steve Jobs on how to live before you die (2005): 7,223,258
16. Susan Cain shares the power of introverts (2012): 6,807,240
17. Keith Barry does brain magic (2004): 6,371,778
18. David Blaine reveals how he held his breath for 17 minutes (2010): 6,359,084
19. Pamela Meyer on how to spot a liar (2010): 6,256,589
20. Arthur Benjamin does mathemagic (2005): 4,951,918

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