Podcast Summary: Fixable × TED Talks Daily

Episode: The daily practice that could rewire your brain
Featured Speaker: Tim Ciusano (Emotional Intelligence Coach)
Host: Elise Hu (TED Talks Daily)
Date: January 5, 2026

Overview

This episode features a powerful TED Talk from Tim Ciusano, an emotional intelligence coach, who shares his transformative discovery: cultivating a daily practice of appreciation can rewire your brain and enhance your day-to-day joy—even in challenging times. Ciusano’s story begins on one of his worst days in corporate life and evolves into a universal lesson on noticing the good in the mundane, ultimately offering actionable steps to introduce more appreciation into our lives.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin Story: A Terrible Corporate Day

• Tim’s Background: At the time, Tim was overseeing a team of 270 and grappling with major workplace stress and looming layoffs.
• The Inciting Moment ([02:57]):
  • “One of those comically miserable days in corporate America… I get off the subway late again for dinner… As I’m walking home, I go, ooh, a manhole cover.”
  • Tim narrates a mental shift: after dwelling on negative thoughts, he notices the design of a manhole cover and becomes fascinated.
  • He questions himself: “How did I go from all these overwhelming thoughts… to a manhole cover? Am I an idiot?” ([03:33])

2. The Revelation: Addiction to Appreciation

• Tim realizes his mind kept finding things to appreciate, even on hard days.
• Key Quote ([04:10]):
  • “This was the realization that I was addicted to appreciation, and that without it, life was remarkably less enjoyable because I was seeing the mundane things in this way.”
• Definition:
  • “Appreciation is the act of noticing and valuing the good in our worlds.”
  • He distinguishes appreciation from simply being present—it’s about actively recognizing value.

3. Practice as a Path to Transformation

• Daily practice of appreciating even tiny things (e.g., manhole covers, light bulbs) rewires the brain towards positivity.
• Quote ([05:49]):
  • “Being addicted to seeing the good and giving the benefit of the doubt unlocked an entirely different level of life and enjoyment.”
• Social Impact: His simple Instagram story—“Be addicted to appreciation”—resonated deeply, fueling his pivot from personal coping mechanism to viral influence.

4. Appreciation vs. Gratitude

• Conceptual Distinction ([07:06]):
  • “Appreciation is foundational. Gratitude is transactional. To show gratitude you are actually receiving something. Appreciation is something that can just layer into everything that you are doing.”
• Tim cites research from Rutgers:
  • “Gratitude is just one of eight components that makes up what appreciation is. And simply by noticing things… you can have this mindset too.” ([08:01])

5. The Ripple Effect (Social & Personal Benefits)

• As he adopted and shared this mindset—through vlogs of his hyper-structured days—people from different walks of life found comfort and inspiration.
• Quote from Tim’s followers ([08:38]):
  • “You make growing up less scary… I love the way that you look at life.”

6. Practical Examples: How to Start

• Practice on “things” (light bulbs):
  • Notice progress, what they enable, and the marvel in the everyday ([08:49]).
• Practice on “people”:
  • Even with difficult people, ask: “Could you ever look at somebody and say, I would have done better with your circumstances?… It's an impossible question to say yes to. That's the easiest way to appreciate someone else more.” ([09:27])

7. Setting Boundaries & Realism

• Appreciation isn’t absolutist—Tim shares a humorous, relatable example ([09:40]):
  • “My wife despises mayonnaise and that is fine. This is not absolute. The world is full of horrible, horrible things. Appreciation is not absolute.”

8. The Payoff: A Happier, More Connected Life

• Benefits of daily appreciation:
  • Increased happiness, presence, reduced taking things for granted, and encouragement for others.
• Key Persuasion ([10:17]):
  • “When you show appreciation on a consistent basis, it will allow you to encourage others and see the differences between us as reasons to believe in each other.”
• Closing question:
  • “Might this be better for us to take a bit less for granted on a day-to-day basis? I vote yes.” ([10:30])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On The Power of Noticing
  • “It’s pretty cool that somebody figured out they would be safer if they were circles instead of squares.” ([03:04])
• On Sharing His Revelation
  • “Forward Instagram-only story: ‘Be addicted to appreciation.’ Really for friends and family as my only followers back then, but really I was saying it for me.” ([06:32])
• On the Social Impact
  • “I never in a million years thought [my videos] would actually take off. And they did.” ([08:38])
• On Understanding Others
  • “Could you ever look at somebody and say, I would have done better with your circumstances, with the entirety of your life up to this moment? It’s an impossible question to say yes to.” ([09:27])
• On The Limits of Appreciation
  • “My wife despises mayonnaise and that is fine. This is not absolute. The world is full of horrible, horrible things. Appreciation is not absolute.” ([09:40])
• On Collective Change
  • “The more we can understand and appreciate what is happening, the more we can appreciate what we are capable of when it comes to change together.” ([10:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:02 — Tim begins his story: “My name is Tim. I'm addicted to appreciation…”
• 03:33 — Moment of self-questioning: “Is this the part of my brain that was holding me back?”
• 04:10 — Tim defines “addicted to appreciation”
• 05:49 — On how leaning into appreciation transformed his mood and energy
• 07:06 — Distinguishing appreciation from gratitude
• 08:01 — Research backing the concept
• 08:38 — Viral impact of his message on social media
• 08:49 — Practical application: appreciating things (light bulbs)
• 09:27 — Practical application: appreciating people (even difficult ones)
• 09:40 — The limits of appreciation (mayonnaise story)
• 10:17 — How appreciation makes you happier and helps society
• 10:30 — Call for a more appreciative collective mindset

Takeaway

Tim Ciusano’s TED Talk urges us to make appreciation—a non-transactional, ever-present act—a daily practice. He argues that this shift in perspective can rewire your brain, bringing more joy, resilience, and human connection even (and especially) during life’s hardest stretches. His message is both actionable and deeply human: make appreciating the small things a daily habit, and witness the ripple effects on your mood and interactions.