Functional programming concepts like purity, immutability, and side effects can seem intimidating at first. However, they aim to make code more predictable by avoiding state mutations and ensuring the same output is always produced from the same inputs. Key concepts discussed include pure functions that are free of side effects; immutable objects whose state cannot change; partial application of fixing arguments; and currying of transforming functions to chains of functions that each take a single argument to enable easier composition of simple functions into more complex ones. Resources recommended for learning more include functional programming books and libraries like Ramda, RxJS, and Immutable.js.