Ideas change everything

Lessons from the longest study on human development

3,043,527 plays|

Helen Pearson |

TED2017

• April 2017

For the past 70 years, scientists in Britain have been studying thousands of children through their lives to find out why some end up happy and healthy while others struggle. It's the longest-running study of human development in the world, and it's produced some of the best-studied people on the planet while changing the way we live, learn and parent. Reviewing this remarkable research, science journalist Helen Pearson shares some important findings and simple truths about life and good parenting.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

For the past 70 years, scientists in Britain have been studying thousands of children through their lives to find out why some end up happy and healthy while others struggle. It's the longest-running study of human development in the world, and it's produced some of the best-studied people on the planet while changing the way we live, learn and parent. Reviewing this remarkable research, science journalist Helen Pearson shares some important findings and simple truths about life and good parenting.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

Visit Helen Pearson's homepage.

About the speaker

Science journalist, editor, author

See speaker profile

Helen Pearson's book, "The Life Project," tells the extraordinary story of the longest-running study of human development in the world.

Learn more

The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives

Helen Pearson | Soft Skull Press (2016)

Helen Pearson - *The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives*

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

Visit Helen Pearson's homepage.

Helen Pearson: Lessons from the longest study on human development | TED Talk