NPR/TED Staff

When Lisa Fritsch was running for governor of Texas, she had to walk a fine line to never appear angry. Today, she wants to destroy that trope — because it forces black women like her to be silent.

Why are some of us more likely to struggle with anger, and how can we learn to manage it? Psychologist Russell Kolts offers strategies for using compassion to transform our approach to anger.

If you think getting angry isn't a sign of emotional intelligence — think again, says Dan Moshavi. He says research shows anger might actually be a powerful, constructive motivator in the workplace.

Women are often discouraged from expressing anger — and if they do, they're penalized. Writer Soraya Chemaly explains the ways women are socialized to suppress anger.

We often assume any expression of anger is negative and irrational. But psychologist Ryan Martin says anger is there to tell us something important-- and we should view it as a healthy force for good.

Comedian Jordan Raskopolous wanted to push past the stigma of mental health and talk about her anxiety disorder publicly. She says she, like everyone else, just needed the right audience.

As a child, Sangu Delle learned "real men" don't struggle with emotions. But when he later experienced anxiety and depression, he realized seeking help was actually a sign of strength—not weakness.

Researcher Olivia Remes says different levels of anxiety exist for everyone, but there are things we can do to help mitigate it. She explains simple anxiety coping strategies to practice daily.

Last year, about one in five were affected by a mental illness. Thomas Insel says we know how to give the right kind of care, but we're not doing it. He argues the first step is to talk about it.

In Zimbabwe, like many countries, there are few options for mental health care. So psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda came up with an unexpected solution: therapy from trained grandmothers, on park benches.

Novelist Jacqueline Woodson is a slow reader. Taking her time lets her savor each word brings her closer to each story, and it lets her pay respect to her ancestors who weren't allowed to read.

Many students feel unrelenting pressure to be ... perfect. Social psychologist Thomas Curran warns that striving for perfectionism isn't just impossible — it's also dangerous to children's health.

When one of Liz Kleinrock's fourth grade students made a cringeworthy comment about race, rather than change the subject, she chose to turn the moment into a teachable one — and start a conversation.

After months of struggling with one particularly challenging elementary school student, principal Olympia Della Flora realized it was the classroom setting that needed to change ... not the child.

Alain de Botton suggests a "religion for atheists" that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual, and transcendence.

Writer Lesley Hazleton calls for a new appreciation of doubt and questioning as the foundation of faith — and an end to fundamentalism of all kinds.

Devdutt Pattanaik takes an eye-opening look at the myths of India and of the West and shows how these two different sets of beliefs about God, death, and heaven cause us to misunderstand one another.

In 2010, a life-changing event challenged the way ordained minister Greg Tonkinson related to God. Having dedicated his life to his faith, Greg had to rethink the way he saw God's plan.

When two young Mormon missionaries knock on performer Julia Sweeney's door one day, it touches off a quest to completely rethink her own beliefs.

In 2018, an orca made headlines when she carried her dead calf on her back for weeks. Barbara King says this was a display of animal grief and explains how this changes our relationship with animals.