← TED Talks Daily
Sunday Pick: The Office’s Rainn Wilson on meaning and happiness | ReThinking with Adam Grant artwork

Sunday Pick: The Office’s Rainn Wilson on meaning and happiness | ReThinking with Adam Grant

TED Talks Daily
47:30
Play episode

Show notes

Rainn Wilson was a late bloomer: he landed the role of Dwight Schrute on The Office after over a decade of struggling as an actor. But success didn’t solve all of his problems -- and it even created some new ones. In this live conversation for the Authors@Wharton series, Adam asks Rainn about his unlikely journey to stardom and how it led him into exploring the insights that philosophy, psychology, and the world’s great spiritual traditions can offer on modern life’s existential questions. They also discuss Rainn’s favorite moments from The Office and do some improv when Dunder Mifflin invites a certain organizational psychologist to talk to Dwight. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Vote for our show in the Signal Awards for Most Inspirational podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from this show

More
  1. Why it's so hard to listen when you disagree | Emily Kasriel

    Do you avoid talking to people you disagree with? Author and mediator Emily Kasriel thinks you should try it out. She explains why engaging with ideas that bother you is one of the…

    13:32
  2. How to make parenting less lonely | Stacey McLachlan

    When parents first have kids, some risk entering “the loneliest decade,” where they fall out of touch with friends. Writer Stacey McLachlan decided to do something different when s…

    20:26
  3. Sunday Pick: Can AI really teach your kids? with Leah Belsky | from WorkLife with Molly Graham

    Technology has been promising to revolutionize education for a long time. Online learning, smartphones, and even asynchronous classes during COVID seemed for a while like they migh…

    51:09
  4. Why the future is human ... plus AI | Sal Khan and Esther Perel

    As AI reshapes work, school and love, what part of being human can't a machine take over? In a wide-ranging conversation, psychotherapist Esther Perel and TED's vision steward Sal…

    23:39
  5. The three words that saved my life | Blake Mycoskie

    On paper, Blake Mycoskie is a glowing success story: he founded TOMS Shoes, building a global brand that has given away more than 100 million pairs of shoes to children in need. Ye…

    18:48
  6. How imaginary worlds help kids learn | Anna Rainio

    All children develop at different paces — so why do schools expect every student to learn the same way? Early education researcher Anna Rainio introduces "playworlds," a learning a…

    17:42
Now Playing
Sunday Pick: The Office’s Rainn Wilson on meaning and happiness | ReThinking with Adam Grant — TED Talks Daily | Podcast | Josplay Music