Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi
by TED
We all want to know if we’re normal—do I have enough friends? Should it take me this long to get over my ex? Should I move or stay where I am? Endlessly curious data journalist Mona ChalabiNEEDS to know, and she’s ready to dive into the numbers to get some answers. But studies and spreadsheets don’t tell the whole story, so she’s consulting experts, strangers, and even her mum to fill in the gaps. The answers might surprise you, and make you ask: does normal even exist?
Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi is produced in partnership with Transmitter Media.
Episodes
Together for 20 years — but living apart?
22m · PublishedThe binary category of single/married doesn't allow for much nuance. What if, say, you’re in a long term committed relationship like a marriage — but you live apart? In the last episode of this mini series, Saleem talks to a couple who’s been living apart together ("LAT") for years about what motivates them to be in a LAT relationship, and how the arrangement works for them.
What it's like to find your birth parent
20m · PublishedIn Britain, one-fourth of people who were adopted make contact with their birth parents before they turn 18. In this episode, Saleem meets Amanda, a Dominican woman who was adopted by a white couple in Connecticut. Amanda always knew she was adopted and was curious about her birth parents. After a few years of dead ends, she finally finds her biological mother … in the last place she expected.
Lessons from the happiest place in the world
22m · PublishedFor multiple years in a row, Gallup has named Finland the happiest country in the world. But can you actually measure happiness —and what do the Finns know that the rest of the world doesn’t? Before you move to Finland, we talk to a Finnish “happyologist” about how she defines happiness, what we can learn from even trying to quantify something so subjective, and whyhappinessmight be less of an individual pursuit than you think.
Should kids have more freedom?
23m · PublishedWould you let your child run errands unaccompanied? Saleem investigates what this kind of early age autonomy can teach us about community, resilience, and family. Saleem talks to a Japanese mother who has lived in the U.S. & Japan about how she and her family navigate independence. Then he hears from one special on-the-ground expert about the value of doing things on one’s own.
What it’s like to live at home with your parents as an adult
20m · PublishedIn the U.S. living with your parents can be seen as a “bad” thing. But across the world, living with your parents is common – and even preferable to living by yourself. In the first episode of a special series of Am I Normal, Saleem Reshamwala talks to a 28-year-old teacher from Hong Kong about what it’s like to be growing into adulthood in her childhood home.
Introducing Body Electric
2m · PublishedAm I Normal will be back this week! Until then, we’ve got a special 6-part series with an interactive twist coming your way: On Body Electric, TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi investigates the relationship between our bodies and our technology…and she has a challenge for YOU. Starts TOMORROW Tuesday, October 3rd.
Episode 1: The Internet’s First Main Character? | The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks
32m · PublishedThe Redemption of Jar Jar Binks is a new show from the TED Audio Collective, hosted by Dylan Marron.
It’s 1999, and sixteen years after its original release, a new Star Wars is finally coming. Fans have been camping out in front of theaters across the country just to be the first to see it. The beloved intergalactic saga is set to debut a slew of brand new characters, one of whom is a revolutionary CGI creation named Jar Jar Binks. Whispers begin to spread about big changes coming to the galaxy far, far away – and not everyone’s happy about it.
Listen to The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks wherever you get your podcasts.
Transcripts for The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks are available at go.ted.com/jarjar
Fixable: Kelli - "How do I deal with a communication breakdown?"
27m · PublishedThis is an episode of Fixable, a new business call-in podcast from the TED Audio Collective hosted by Harvard Business professor Frances Frei and CEO and best-selling author Anne Morriss. Kelli is a nurse at a leading teaching hospital where communication issues are not only leading to resentment – they could also be affecting patient care. After hearing from Kelli about the larger problems at play in the healthcare space, Anne and Frances discuss the link between communication and transparency and guide Kelli into taking matters into her own hands. If you want to be on Fixable, call the hotline at 234-Fixable (that's 234-349-2253) to leave Anne and Frances a voicemail with your workplace problem -- or email them at [email protected]
Introducing Good Sport
3m · PublishedThis week on Am I Normal? we’re excited to introduce TED’s newest podcast, Good Sport, hosted by veteran sports producer Jody Avirgan. What can sports teach us about life – and each other? Good Sport brings you invigorating stories from on and off the field to argue that sports are as powerful and compelling a lens as any to understand the world – from what happens when you age out of a sport, to how we do or don't nurture talent, to analyzing how sports arguments have become the mode for all arguments. Good Sport launched on February 8th and you can find it anywhere you’re listening to this. TED Audio Collective+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can hear the whole season early and ad-free.
How to answer your biggest questions—with data | How to Be a Better Human
36m · PublishedWhenever we have a question – about ourselves or the world around us – it can be helpful to visualize our answer in order to really understand it. But how do you conceptualize something as big as inequality, as complex as grief, or as silly as your probability of correctly guessing today’s Wordle? Mona was a guest on another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, called How to Be a Better Human, to explain how anyone can use analysis to answer their most personal questions. For the text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts. And for more episodes on how to be a little less terrible, follow How to Be a Better Human wherever you're listening to this.
Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi has 24 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 8:58:29. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on October 11th 2023. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on April 24th, 2024 14:41.