About TEDMED Now
What if breaking a habit is less about willpower and more about curiosity?
In this episode of TEDMED Now, we revisit psychiatrist and neuroscientist Judson Brewer’s TEDMED Talk to explore how habits form, why they can feel so automatic, and what it takes to interrupt them. Through the science of reward-based learning, mindfulness, and craving, Brewer reframes habit change not as a battle against the brain, but as a process of giving the brain better information.
From the urge to check a phone to the loops that shape more deeply ingrained behaviors, this episode examines how curiosity can create a pause between trigger and action, helping us see an urge not as a command, but as something we can observe, understand, and move through.
About Judson Brewer
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About Judson:
Dr. Judson Brewer is a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and international expert who has spent over 20 years researching the connection between mindfulness and addiction. He now serves as the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, where he is also an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and the Medical School. Judson is a leader in the “science of self-mastery,” focusing on how our brains create and maintain the “habit loop” of cravings, whether they are for nicotine, food, or simply worrying. His work uses advanced technology, including real-time fMRI (functional MRI) and EEG, to study the exact neural mechanisms that mindfulness practices can interrupt. He uses these scientific findings to create real-world clinical tools. In 2012, Judson founded MindSciences (formerly Claritas MindSciences) to translate his research into accessible, app-based digital therapeutic programs. His popular apps, including Craving to Quit and Eat Right Now, help individuals break bad habits and overcome addictive behaviors, including emotional eating and smoking. He also developed Unwinding Anxiety, an app based on his New York Times bestselling book of the same name, which shows how anxiety is a habit that can be broken. Judson continues to advance the field, often featured as a speaker in major media, bringing scientifically-backed mindfulness tools to millions of people worldwide.
About Kelly Thomas
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Kelly Thomas, PhD is Director of Scientific Content at TEDMED, where she curates and translates breakthrough ideas at the intersection of science, medicine, and human potential. Her work focuses on making complex research clear, accurate, and meaningful — connecting rigorous evidence to the realities of everyday life.
With a background spanning biomedical engineering, structural biology, oncology, and the biology of the stem-cell niche in acute myeloid leukemia, Kelly has written across formats ranging from peer-reviewed research and grant proposals to health and wellness journalism. Throughout her career, she has been driven by a central question: how do we translate the best of science into longer, healthier, more meaningful lives?
At TEDMED, she leads the development of conversations and experiences designed to surface nuance, challenge assumptions, and make emerging science accessible without oversimplifying it. As one of the hosts of TEDMED Conversations, she explores topics including resilience, mental health, technology’s impact on youth, and the future of care.
A lifelong athlete and high-performance competitor, Kelly brings a particular interest in the neuroscience of resilience and behavior change — and how science can inform the way we live, train, recover, and grow.
