# The benefits of fostering beginner's mind

- Institution: TED
- Department: TEDxMiltonAcademy
- Speaker: Cecilia Guan
- Year: 2022
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Psychology and the brain, Society and politics, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/cecilia_guan_the_benefits_of_fostering_beginner_s_mind)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Many of us typically disengage or even double down on our beliefs when we encounter opinions at odds with our own. Our biases tell us we have all the answers but, according to psychology grad Cecilia Guan, this mentality only stifles the marketplace of ideas. Combining Zen Buddhist practices with psychological concepts, Guan suggests fostering our "beginner's mind"—a way of engaging with the world without preconceptions—to seek mutual understanding in a polarized world.

## Lectures

1. [The benefits of fostering beginner's mind](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/cecilia_guan_the_benefits_of_fostering_beginner_s_mind/a56286e19359), 13 min (TED's player)