On the NPR TED Radio Hour, Sunday 19th October, Newstalk FM:

Beauty surrounds us, draws us in, gives joy and creates conflict. This week, TED speakers conjure up beauty both ancient and modern, and bring out ideas about why humans are hardwired to crave and respond to beauty.

Philosopher Denis Dutton says the places and people we find attractive can be traced to the preferences of ancient man.  Artistic preferences migrate easily across borders: people from Kenya to Iceland to China favor landscape paintings with water and wildlife, and a soothing blue tint. 

Psychologist Nancy Etcoff, who explains why beauty inspires and motivates us, says our response to beauty is visceral, and we use strong word, like “bombshell", when we talk about it.  

Cameron Russell is gorgeous. She has to be, she's a top fashion model. Being beautiful has given her unexpected gifts, and- believe it or not- a fair dose of insecurity.

Civic visionary Bill Strickland says beauty can rescue young people from poverty. He's helped build art centers in some of the poorest parts of the US, and says ceramics and art, flowers and jazz, can turn troubled lives around.

Designer Richard Seymour says material things can be beautiful. In fact, they should be. He says within micro-seconds, people fall in love with a well-designed object; and they “feel” the beauty before they think about it.

The NPR TED Radio Hour on Newstalk 106-108 FM, this Sunday at the slightly later time of 7pm. 

Listen back to TED Radio Hour 'What is beauty?' here.