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TED Talks Daily

My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee | A.J. Jacobs (re-release)

with A.J. Jacobs

Published November 11, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

Author A.J. Jacobs describes how his tendency to focus on negatives led him to experiment with gratitude by thanking all the people involved in making his daily cup of coffee. What began as a family mealtime ritual evolved into a global quest to thank more than a thousand people along the coffee supply chain, yielding five key lessons about attention, savoring, invisible work, behavioral change, and global interconnectedness. He argues that genuine gratitude not only improves personal well-being but also inspires concrete action to help others, such as supporting access to safe water.

Topics Covered

Gratitude Perspective shift Personal Development Happiness Food systems Global food trade Systems thinking Travel and tourism Curiosity Personal narrative

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Quick Takeaways

  • The human brain is wired to focus on negatives, but deliberate gratitude can counteract this bias.
  • Jacobs undertook a quest to personally thank over a thousand people involved in his morning coffee, revealing how many invisible contributors make everyday comforts possible.
  • Making eye contact and acknowledging service workers helps restore a sense of shared humanity in routine interactions.
  • Savoring small experiences, like the taste of coffee, can slow time subjectively and deepen appreciation.
  • Acting grateful, even before you fully feel it, can gradually reshape your mood and mindset.
  • Tracing gratitude through supply chains reveals global interdependence and the scale of collaboration behind simple products.
  • Gratitude often motivates people to pay it forward, leading to prosocial actions like supporting clean water access.

Podcast Notes

Show introduction and context

Host introduces TED Talks Daily and the featured archive talk

Elise Hu introduces the podcast as a place for daily ideas to spark curiosity[2:26]
She frames the episode around the idea of personally thanking everyone involved in a morning cup of coffee[2:36]
She explains that A.J. Jacobs actually carried out this idea as a real-world project, not just a thought experiment[2:41]
The talk is identified as an archive talk from 2018 in which A.J. reflects on a journey of 1,000 thank-yous and its life-altering wisdom[2:45]

A.J. Jacobs on negativity bias and discovering gratitude

Jacobs describes his talent for focusing on annoyances

He says he does not like to boast, but is very good at finding things to be annoyed about[3:06]
He notes he can hear 100 compliments and one insult and only remember the insult[3:14]
He cites research indicating he is not alone; the human brain is wired to focus on the negative[3:23]
He suggests this negativity bias might have been useful for cave people avoiding predators but is now a terrible way to live[3:30]
He connects negativity bias to anxiety and depression as a major contributing factor[3:37]

Introducing gratitude as an antidote

Jacobs says research points to gratitude as one of the best weapons against the brain's negative bias[3:50]
Knowing this, he started a new family tradition a couple of years earlier involving a thanksgiving ritual before meals[3:53]
He clarifies he is agnostic, so his practice is not a traditional prayer to God[4:06]
Instead of thanking God, he thanks specific people who helped make the food on the table possible[4:13]
• Examples he gives include thanking the farmer who grew the tomatoes, the trucker who drove them to the store, and the cashier who rang them up
He believed the tradition was going well with his wife and kids[4:25]

Challenge from his son that sparks the coffee project

One day, his 10-year-old son points out that the people he is thanking are not in their apartment and cannot hear him[4:31]
His son says that if he really cared, he would go and thank them in person[4:36]
Jacobs finds this an interesting idea and considers it as a writer who likes to go on adventures and quests for his books[4:48]
He decides to take his son up on the challenge and turn it into a quest[4:51]

Designing the coffee gratitude quest

Choosing coffee and realizing the project is not simple

To make the project simpler, he decides to focus on one item he cannot live without: his morning cup of coffee[5:02]
He initially thinks the quest will be simple but discovers it is not simple at all[5:06]
The quest takes him months and brings him around the world[5:13]
He discovers that his coffee depends on hundreds of people he usually takes for granted[5:20]

Following the chain of contributors

He begins by thanking the trucker who drove the coffee beans to the coffee shop[5:26]
He realizes the trucker could not do his job without the road, so he then thanks the people who paved the road[5:32]
He follows this further by thanking the people who made the asphalt for the pavement[5:38]
He concludes that his coffee, like much in the world, requires the combined work of a shocking number of people from diverse professions[5:47]
• He lists example professions: architects, biologists, designers, miners, goatherds, and others

Naming the project and initial impact

He decides to call his project Thanks a Thousand because he ended up thanking over a thousand people[6:04]
He describes the experience as overwhelming but also wonderful[6:08]
The project helped him focus on hundreds of things that go right each day instead of the few that go wrong[6:12]
It reminded him of the astounding interconnectedness of the world[6:20]
He says he learned dozens of lessons but will focus on five in the talk[6:26]

Lesson 1: Look up

Encounter with Chung, the barista

He begins his trail of gratitude by thanking the barista at his local coffee shop, Joe Coffee in New York[6:38]
Her name is Chung, and he describes her as one of the most upbeat people you will ever meet[6:45]
• He characterizes her as a big smiler and enthusiastic hugger
Despite her temperament, being a barista is hard because she encounters people in a dangerous state: pre-caffeination[6:58]
Chung has had people yell at her until she cried, including a nine-year-old girl who disliked her whipped cream design on a hot chocolate[7:06]
Jacobs thanks Chung, and she thanks him for thanking her, which he briefly jokes about as avoiding an infinite thanking loop[7:25]

Realizing how often people treat service workers as objects

Chung tells him the hardest part of her job is when people do not treat her like a human being[7:33]
She says customers sometimes treat her like a vending machine, handing over a credit card without looking up from their phone[7:36]
While listening, Jacobs realizes he has behaved that way himself and labels it being an a-hole[7:48]

Commitment to eye contact and acknowledging humanity

In that moment, he pledges that when dealing with people he will spend two seconds to look at them[7:57]
He emphasizes making eye contact as a reminder that the other person is a human being with family, aspirations, and embarrassing high school memories[8:06]
He argues that this brief moment of connection is important to both people's humanity and happiness[8:09]

Lesson 2: Smell the roses, dirt, and fertilizer (savoring)

Meeting Ed Kaufman, the coffee selector

After Chung, Jacobs thanks Ed Kaufman, the person who chooses which coffee is served at his local shop[8:32]
Ed travels around the world, including South America and Africa, to find the best coffee beans[8:37]
In return for being thanked, Ed teaches Jacobs how to taste coffee like a professional[8:44]

Learning the ritual of professional coffee tasting

Ed shows him a ritual involving dipping a spoon into the coffee and taking a big, loud slurp[8:51]
• The loud slurp is used to spray the coffee all over the mouth to engage taste buds on the cheeks and roof of the mouth
Ed's face lights up as he tastes and he describes flavors such as honeycrisp apple, notes of soil, and maple syrup[9:17]
Jacobs admits that to him the coffee initially just tastes like coffee[9:28]

Practicing savoring as a form of gratitude

Inspired by Ed, he decides to let the coffee sit on his tongue for five seconds instead of rushing[9:36]
He acknowledges everyone is busy but believes he can spare five seconds to notice texture, acidity, and sweetness[9:39]
He extends this practice of savoring to other foods as well[9:46]
He notes psychologists say gratitude involves taking a moment, holding on to it as long as possible, and slowing down time[10:00]
He contrasts this with life often going by in one big blur, which savoring can counteract[10:07]

Lesson 3: Find the hidden masterpieces around you

Conversation with the inventor of his coffee cup lid

One of his favorite conversations is with the man who invented his coffee cup lid[10:16]
He notes that until then he had given approximately zero thought to coffee cup lids[10:25]
He enjoys the discussion because the inventor, Doug Fleming, is passionate about his work[10:29]
• Doug describes the blood, sweat, and tears that went into designing the lid, which Jacobs had never considered
Doug claims a bad lid can ruin coffee by blocking the aroma, which is critical to the experience[10:41]
Jacobs calls Doug very innovative and compares him to the Elon Musk of coffee lids[10:52]
Doug designed a lid with an upside-down hexagon opening so the nose can get close to the coffee for maximum aroma[11:00]

Recognizing invisible design work as everyday masterpieces

Jacobs says the conversation made him realize there are hundreds of masterpieces around us that we take for granted[11:10]
He gives another example: the on-off switch on his desk lamp has a thumb indentation that perfectly fits his thumb[11:21]
He notes that when something is done well, the process behind it is largely invisible[11:21]
He argues that paying attention to such design processes can tap into a sense of wonder and enrich life[11:30]

Lesson 4: Fake it till you feel it (behavior shaping emotion)

Daily practice of thanking and mixed reactions

By the end of the project, he describes himself as being in a thanking frenzy[11:39]
He would get up and spend a couple of hours writing emails, sending notes, making phone calls, and visiting people to thank them for their role in his coffee[11:52]
Some recipients were not very enthusiastic and were suspicious about his motives[11:53]
• He recalls some asking if it was a pyramid scheme or what he was selling
Most people, however, were surprisingly moved by his thanks[12:06]

Example of the pest control worker and the impact on both sides

He describes calling the woman who performs pest control for the warehouse where his coffee is stored[12:17]
He tells her he wants to thank her for keeping the bugs out of his coffee, acknowledging it sounds strange[12:24]
She responds that it does sound strange but that he just made her day[12:29]
He characterizes this as an anti-crank phone call that positively affects both her and him[12:33]

From forced gratitude to genuine feeling

Jacobs says he wakes up most mornings in his default mood, which he identifies as grumpiness[12:41]
He forces himself to write a thank-you note, then another, and another[12:46]
He finds that acting as if he is grateful eventually makes him truly grateful[12:56]
He emphasizes the power of actions to change the mind, noting we often think thought changes behavior, but often behavior changes thoughts[13:05]

Lesson 5: Practice six degrees of gratitude and recognize global interdependence

Gratitude chains expanding at each step

He says every stop on his gratitude trail gave birth to a hundred other people he could thank[13:27]
He travels to Colombia to thank the farmers who grow his coffee beans[13:33]
The farm is in a small mountain town accessible via curvy cliffside roads[13:40]
During the drive, the driver makes the sign of the cross at each hairpin turn, which both amuses and frightens Jacobs[13:48]
• Jacobs humorously comments that he thanks the driver for the gesture but wishes he would keep his hands on the wheel because he is terrified

Meeting the farmers and tracing further contributors

He meets the Guarnizo brothers, small-scale farmers who grow excellent coffee and are paid above fair-trade prices[14:09]
They show him how coffee is grown and explain that the coffee bean is inside a fruit called the coffee cherry[14:17]
He thanks them, and they in turn explain that they could not do their job without many other people[14:23]
• They mention the machine that depulps the fruit, which is made in Brazil
• They point out that their pickup truck is assembled from parts sourced from all over the world
Jacobs notes that the United States exports steel to Colombia, which connects back to his supply chain[14:38]
He travels to Indiana to thank the steel makers who produce some of the steel used there[14:42]

Realization about global collaboration and globalization

He concludes that it does not take a village to make a cup of coffee; it takes the world[14:52]
He acknowledges globalization and the global economy have downsides[14:58]
He believes the long-term upsides of globalization are far greater than the downsides[15:04]
He cites real progress over the last 50 years, including decreases in worldwide poverty[15:10]
He argues we should resist retreating into silos and resist the upsurge in isolationism and jingoism[15:19]

Gratitude as a spark to action, not complacency

Addressing concerns about gratitude leading to complacency

He notes some people worry that gratitude will make individuals complacent and overly satisfied[15:35]
The caricature he describes is someone saying everything is wonderful and being so grateful that they do nothing[15:42]
He counters that research shows the opposite: the more grateful you are, the more likely you are to help others[15:55]
He explains that when people are in a bad state, they are often more focused on their own needs[16:00]
Gratitude, by contrast, makes you want to pay it forward[16:03]

Personal changes and awareness of exploitation

Jacobs admits he is not Mother Teresa and still considers himself selfish a large amount of the time[16:09]
He nonetheless feels he is better than he was before the gratitude project[16:16]
The project heightened his awareness of exploitation along the supply chain[16:21]
It reminded him that things he takes for granted are not available to millions around the world, using water as a key example[16:46]

From coffee to water and supporting safe water access

He notes coffee is 98.8 percent water, so he decides he should thank the people who provide his water[17:02]
He thanks hundreds of workers at the New York reservoir system who ensure his water supply[16:38]
He reflects on the miracle that he can turn a lever and get safe water[16:44]
He contrasts this with millions worldwide who lack this luxury and must walk hours to access safe water[16:50]
The realization inspires him to see what he can do to help people gain more access to safe water[16:44]
He researches and finds an organization called Dispensers for Safe Water and gets involved with them[17:00]
He downplays the magnitude of his contribution, saying he does not expect the Nobel Prize Committee but sees it as a baby step[17:06]
He emphasizes that this action came out of gratitude[17:14]

Encouraging others to follow their own gratitude trails

Accessible ways to practice gratitude beyond coffee

He encourages friends and family to follow gratitude trails of their own, describing it as life-transforming[17:18]
He notes it does not have to be about coffee; it could be about socks, a light bulb, or other everyday objects[17:28]
He says you do not have to travel around the world; small gestures such as making eye contact or sending a note can suffice[17:30]
He gives an example of sending a note to the designer of a logo you love[17:36]

Adopting a mindset of recognizing hidden contributors

He emphasizes that gratitude trails are more about a mindset of being aware of thousands of people involved in everything we do[17:40]
He reminds the audience that someone in a factory made the fabric for the chairs they are sitting on[17:48]
He notes that someone went into a mine to extract the copper for the microphone he is using[17:54]
He uses this to lead into his final thank you to the audience for listening to his story[18:53]

Outro and production credits

Host contextualizes the talk and credits production team

Elise Hu reiterates that the talk was delivered by A.J. Jacobs at a TED Salon in 2018 and originally published in November 2018[18:22]
She mentions listeners can learn more about TED's curation guidelines on TED's website[18:28]
She lists the production and editing team members for TED Talks Daily[18:36]
She says she will be back tomorrow with a new idea and thanks listeners for listening[18:50]

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Deliberately practicing gratitude can counteract the brain's tendency to fixate on negatives, shifting attention toward the many things that go right each day.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What recurring situations in your life trigger a strong focus on what's wrong instead of what's working?
  • • How might a daily ritual of naming specific people or processes you're grateful for change your mood over the next month?
  • • What is one small gratitude practice you can commit to this week to interrupt your usual negative thought patterns?
2

Making the invisible labor and complex supply chains behind everyday items visible cultivates respect, humility, and a deeper sense of interconnectedness.

Reflection Questions:

  • • When you look at something you use every day, like your phone or breakfast, how often do you think about the people who made it possible?
  • • How could tracing the contributors behind one ordinary object change the way you consume or make decisions?
  • • What is one product in your life whose hidden contributors you could learn about and thank in some concrete way?
3

Savoring small experiences-such as fully tasting a cup of coffee-slows down subjective time and amplifies appreciation, making ordinary moments feel richer.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which parts of your day do you currently rush through that could become more meaningful if you slowed down and paid attention?
  • • How would your sense of well-being shift if you intentionally took five extra seconds to savor one experience each day?
  • • What is one daily activity (eating, walking, talking with someone) where you can practice focused, non-distracted attention this week?
4

Simple humanizing gestures-like making eye contact and explicitly thanking people in service roles-strengthen mutual dignity and improve both sides' well-being.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Who in your daily routine do you tend to treat like part of the background rather than as a full person?
  • • How might consistently greeting and acknowledging these people change the atmosphere of your workplace or neighborhood?
  • • What specific interaction today can you intentionally transform by slowing down, making eye contact, and offering a sincere thank you?
5

Behavior often leads emotion: acting grateful, even when you don't yet feel that way, can gradually reshape your mindset and motivate you to help others.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In what areas of your life are you waiting to "feel" differently before you change how you act?
  • • How could starting with small, repeated actions of gratitude influence your motivation to contribute or give back?
  • • What is one concrete gratitude action (a note, a call, a visit) you can schedule this week to experiment with letting behavior drive your feelings?

Episode Summary - Notes by Casey

My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee | A.J. Jacobs (re-release)
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