ReThinking
ReThinking
TED
The psychology of compatibility with Malcolm Gladwell
1 hour Posted Oct 22, 2026 at 4:00 am.
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Show notes

On tour for his new book, Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World, Adam sits down for a crackling live event with journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell. They discuss and debate the building blocks of compatibility. Adam and Malcolm reflect on why our first impressions of people are often wrong, why people are so drawn to astrology, and how we can fix dating apps. They also explore which relationships are actually toxic, how parent-child bonds change as kids grow, and what it means to be a nerd.


To order Vibe, join Adam on tour, and take a quiz about how you connect, visit www.adamgrant.net/vibe.


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ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.


For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts


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