I taught rats to drive. They taught me to enjoy the ride | Kelly Lambert

What can happy rats teach us about human joy? Behavioral neuroscientist Kelly Lambert describes how her team trained rats to drive tiny cars to earn treats — and noticed something surprising about how effort and anticipation affect the brain. The experiment opens new questions about how reward, agency and "behaviorceuticals" might help build resilience and support mental health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 18, 2026

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

I taught rats to drive. They taught me to enjoy the ride | Kelly Lambert

0:00 16:25

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of TED Talks Daily?

This episode is 16 minutes long.

When was this TED Talks Daily episode published?

This episode was published on March 18, 2026.

Can I download this TED Talks Daily episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!