Why We Need to Know Our Lives Matter | Jennifer Wallace | TED

It’s not enough to do important work — we need to know it truly matters, says journalist Jennifer Wallace. Drawing on her research into firefighters, caregivers and more, she shows how simple acts of acknowledgment and connection can fuel our sense of purpose in a world that too often undervalues recognition. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 8, 2025) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X:   / tedtalks   Instagram:   / ted   Facebook:   / ted   LinkedIn:   / ted-conferences   TikTok:   / tedtoks   The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit https://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/jenniferwallace    • Why We Need to Know Our Lives Matter | Jen...   TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz.... For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #TEDTalks #Culture