
Interview: The razor-thin line between contagion and connection w/ Dan Taberski | from TED Health
About this episode
After a mysterious wave of tics and twitches swept through a small-town high school in New York, documentary podcaster Dan Taberski set out to investigate what was really happening. Drawing on extensive research and intimate interviews with the people involved, he explores the roots of mass hysteria — and what it reveals about the line between illness and belonging. What happens when the very thing that makes us sick ... is also what connects us?
After the talk, Shoshana interviews Dan on how his research into the mysterious Havana Syndrome leads to his unearthing of a similar mass hysteria in Le Roy, New York. They also discuss how storytelling can reshape discourse surrounding medicine and what happens when the person experiencing an illness feels unheard and unsupported by the very medical professionals supposed to care for them?
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time How to Be a Better Human publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from How to Be a Better Human

How to handle uncertainty (w/ Simone Stolzoff)
How to Be a Better Human

How to mentally reset when you’re stressed out (w/ Dr Jenny Taitz)
How to Be a Better Human

Are you feeling emotionally stuck? Here’s how to get past it (w/ Yowei Shaw)
How to Be a Better Human

The right risks to take for a great career (w/ Molly Graham) (video)
How to Be a Better Human