We recently did a special week of posts on our Facebook Page featuring five TED talks. These influential videos from expert speakers showcased five topics related to hearing.

Monday
Julian Treasure says our increasingly noisy world is gnawing away at our mental health — even costing lives. He lays out an 8-step plan to soften this sonic assault (starting with those cheap earbuds) and restore our relationship with sound. Watch Shh! Sound health in 8 steps.

Tuesday
Artist and TED Fellow Christine Sun Kim was born deaf. Through her art, she discovered similarities between American Sign Language and music, and she realized that sound doesn’t have to be known solely through the ears — it can be felt, seen and experienced as an idea. Watch The Enchanting Music of Sign Language.

Wednesday
TED Radio Hour asks “How do we listen when we’re unable to hear?” Percussionist Evelyn Glennie is almost completely deaf, which means she listens to music with her body, not her ears. Watch How to Truly Listen.

Thursday
What does space sound like? Sound artist Honor Harger spent the last few years listening to the stars and recording some of the sounds of space. Watch A History of the Universe in Sound.

Friday
Playing sound effects both pleasant and awful, Julian Treasure shows how sound affects us in four significant ways. Listen carefully for a shocking fact about noisy open-plan offices. Watch The 4 ways sound affects us.