Summary5 min read

Nice News Today — September 8, 2025

Host: Case Kenny
Episode Title: Benefits of rewatching your fave shows, the sleepiest states, and how to spot the northern lights

Episode Overview

This uplifting episode of Nice News Today delivers a dose of optimism by sharing recent positive stories and insights around health, environment, social initiatives, and natural wonders. Case Kenny touches on the mental health benefits of rewatching favorite TV shows, examines sleep trends across the United States, highlights a creative college waste-reduction program, unpacks shifting attitudes toward affordable housing, offers practical tips on catching the Northern Lights in 2025, and spotlights a story of remarkable teamwork in pursuit of a lifelong dream.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mental Health Benefits of Rewatching Favorite TV Shows

[00:01–02:30]

Trend Observed: Despite the endless options in the streaming era, people often revisit beloved TV series.
Why So Comforting?
- Rewatching provides a predictable, comforting escape from the unpredictability and mental exhaustion of daily life.
- Behavioral scientist Clarissa Silva (via Verywell Health) notes:
  
  “The daily grind can be mentally exhausting, which is why nostalgic shows feel so comforting. Instead of adding to our mental load, they give us a much needed escape.”
- Clinical psychologists add that known narratives help viewers feel safe and stable, especially in tough times.
- Predictability and a lack of surprises (no shocking plot twists) can be a calming influence.
Conclusion:
- Case validates the positive mental health effect:
  
  “So if the weather changing to fall has you itching to queue up Gilmore Girls for the millionth time, lean into it and know that rewatching can be a useful tool in your mental health toolbox.” ([02:27])

2. America’s Sleepiest States and Bedtime Habits

[02:31–04:08]

Study Overview: Apple’s Heart and Movement Study analyzed sleep data from 61,000+ adults (17 million records).
- National average sleep duration: 6 hours, 40 minutes.
- Earliest bedtime: Hawaii residents at 11:06 pm (also shortest duration: 6 hours, 31 minutes).
- Latest bedtime: Washington, D.C. at 11:56 pm; New Yorkers close behind at 11:53 pm.
Sleep Consistency Pays Off:
- Those with regular bedtimes sleep longer (by 40 minutes), wake less during the night, and exercise more.
- Case observes:
  
  “Maybe our parents were right about going to sleep on time.” ([04:05])

3. NYU Students Tackle Campus Waste with a Swap Shop

[04:09–05:39]

Waste Issue: College students generate an average of 640 pounds of trash each annually (Planet Aid).
NYU Solution:
- Students set up a swap shop distributing tens of thousands of pounds of gently-used donated items for free to students.
- Resulted in over 1,800 students participating; most items found new homes, reducing waste significantly.
Social Impact:
- The initiative helps students with financial constraints.
- NYU student Haneen Amer explained:
  
  “Not all NYU students are coming from the same context, the same economic backgrounds, and so there are a lot of students and families that really appreciate initiatives like the swap shop because it’s alleviating a lot of the stress that comes with higher education already.” ([05:29])

4. Positive Movement on Affordable Housing Attitudes

[05:40–06:42]

Poll Results (Talker Research):
- 63% of respondents view “affordable housing” positively, even split across political alignments.
- Two-thirds would live in or next to affordable housing; over half would feel positive if a neighboring building converted to affordable housing.
Changing Perspectives:
- Built CEO explains growing empathy:
  
  “…as more people experience the challenges of affordable housing, more people understand that it’s not about charity, it’s about, keeping the American dream within reach.” ([06:33])

5. Preparing to View the Northern Lights in Autumn 2025

[06:43–08:13]

Why Now?
- Solar maximum (11-year sun activity peak) predicts the strongest aurora season in decades.
How-to Tips:
- Use aurora tracking apps or check NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center for forecasts.
- Head to the darkest possible spot with minimal light pollution and stay patient.
- Lights chaser Melissa Kalin advises:
  
  Cameras often capture more vivid colors than what’s visible to the naked eye. In the northern U.S., the lights may look more white or silver—so keep your camera ready and watch for subtle sky movement. ([07:55])
Encouragement:
- Case wishes listeners:
  
  “Happy lights chasing!” ([08:08])

6. Inspiring Humans: Teamwork Takes Phil to the Summit

[08:14–09:25]

Phil Thompson’s Dream: To summit Mount Snowden in North Wales, something he considered impossible after a motorcycle accident left him in a wheelchair.
Teamwork Makes a Dream Work:
- Bangor Rugby Club builds a special wheelchair frame and carries Phil up the 3,650-foot peak.
Community Focus:
- Club member explained:
  
  “Bangor Rugby Club is very community focused and Phil hasn’t missed a game in over a year, come rain or shine.” ([09:15])
- Beautiful example of collective determination and support.

Notable Quotes

On Comfort TV:

“Instead of adding to our mental load, they give us a much needed escape.” – Clarissa Silva ([01:48])

“…rewatching can be a useful tool in your mental health toolbox.” – Case Kenny ([02:27])
On Student Initiatives:

“There are a lot of students and families that really appreciate initiatives like the swap shop because it’s alleviating a lot of the stress that comes with higher education already.” – Haneen Amer, NYU ([05:29])
On Affordable Housing:

“…it’s not about charity, it’s about, keeping the American dream within reach.” – Built CEO ([06:33])
On the Summit Climb:

“Bangor Rugby Club is very community focused and Phil hasn’t missed a game in over a year, come rain or shine.” – Bangor Rugby Club member ([09:15])

Timestamps for Key Segments

Rewatching Favorite Shows & Mental Health: 00:01 – 02:30
America’s Sleep Trends: 02:31 – 04:08
NYU Swap Shop & College Waste: 04:09 – 05:39
Affordable Housing Attitudes: 05:40 – 06:42
Tips to See the Northern Lights: 06:43 – 08:13
Inspiring Story: Phil’s Summit Climb: 08:14 – 09:25

For more inspiring news, visit nicenews.com. This episode is a wonderful reminder that positive change and human kindness are happening all around us.

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
Good morning. Welcome to Nice news today, your 10 minute roundup of the week's most positive news. It is September 8th, and today I'm diving into how re watching your favorite TV shows can benefit your mental health. Plus, I'll tell you about the US States with the earliest and latest bedtimes, the college students reducing waste on campus, and how you can spot the Northern Lights this fall. I'm your host, Case Kenney. Let's uncover some good together in the streaming era, there are tons of new shows coming out on different platforms all the time. Forget the days of flipping through channels to find something somewhat interesting, only to settle on an infomercial. But with all this new tv, why do so many of us revisit the same series again and again? Why? Whether your comfort show of choice is Parks and Rec, Friends or my personal favorite, Seinfeld, you likely know the feeling of sinking into a familiar episode at the end of a long day, perhaps one that you could even quote verbatim. And some experts say this ritual can actually be quite beneficial from a mental health perspective. Here's what behavioral scientist Clarissa Silva told Verywell Health the daily grind can be mentally exhausting, which is why nostalgic shows feel so comforting. Instead of adding to our mental load, they give us a much needed escape. A clinical psychologist added that rewatching the shows we know and love can help us feel safe and stable, which can be particularly helpful when you're going through a tough time. Old TV is predictable. You know exactly what's going to happen, meaning no shocking plot twists or wondering if the characters are going to be okay in the end. So if the weather changing to fall has you itching to queue up Gilmore Girls for the millionth time, lean into it and know that rewatching can be a useful tool in your mental health toolbox. Which US State do you think is the sleepiest? I don't mean in terms of how little there is to do. I'm talking literally about how much people sleep and when they go to bed. Apple recently released data from its Heart and Movement Study, which tracked nearly 17 million sleep records from more than 61,000 adults via Apple watches. The average sleep duration across the country was 6 hours and 40 minutes, with Hawaii coming in with the earliest bedtime at 11:06pm Hawaiians in the study were also early risers, as the state also had the shortest average sleep duration, 6 hours, 31 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, Washington, D.C. residents went to bed the latest at 11:56pm and New Yorkers followed close behind, with an average bedtime of 1153. The study also went deeper, looking at correlations between bedtime consistency and other markers of good sleep and overall health, Axios reports researchers found that those with the most consistent bedtimes slept 40 minutes longer, spent less time awake during sleep periods, and exercised more than other participants. Maybe our parents were right about going to sleep on time. As fun as back to school shopping can be, there's also a dark side to purchasing all those new goodies. According to Planet Aid, the average College student produces 640 pounds of trash each year, including items like clothes, books and furniture. So a group of students at New York University came up with a solution a swap shop offering gently used items to college students for free. NYU posted a TikTok about the shop last month and it got nearly 1 million views, attracting students to the tens of thousands of pounds of donated items that were collected throughout the spring and summer. Over 1800 students showed up during the multi day swap to take home jackets, jeans, microwaves, lamps, mirrors and more. And by the time they were done, hardly anything remained. Not only did the project address the issue of waste, but it also helped students who struggled to afford new things, student volunteer Haneen Amer told NBC News. Quote not all NYU students are coming from the same context, the same economic backgrounds, and so there are a lot of students and families that really appreciate initiatives like the swap shop because it's alleviating a lot of the stress that comes with higher education already. Hopefully this becomes a trend on other campuses too. Next, A new poll is offering a sliver of hope for affordable housing initiatives across the U.S. you've likely heard some talk about NIMBY's, which stands for not in My Backyard and describes homeowners who typically oppose new developments in their areas, particularly when those developments are affordable housing. But a survey of 1,000American adults from Talker Research found that such sentiments may not be as widespread as it seems. 63% of the respondents, split equally by political alignment, said they view the term affordable housing positively, and two thirds said they'd be willing to live in or next to a home labeled affordable housing. A little more than half also said they'd react positively if the house or building next to them was converted to affordable housing. The CEO of Built, a construction software company that commissioned the survey explained that as more people experience the challenges of affordable housing, more people understand that it's not about charity, it's about, quote, keeping the American dream within reach. If you don't already have a Northern Lights viewing trip on your radar this fall, it might be time to start thinking about it. Experts are saying that increased geomagnetic activity could make autumn 2025 one of the strongest aurora seasons in decades. According to Outside magazine, the sun has reached solar maximum, its 11 year peak of activity. That means more frequent and more intense northern lights. Now onto the important part. How do we catch these vibrant light displays? Start by downloading an aurora tracking app or monitoring the NOAA Space Weather Prediction center website which provides three day forecasts. If the auroras are expected to be close to where you are, lights chaser Melissa Kalin advises traveling to the darkest sky area near you. That is an area with minimal to no light pollution and staking things out for a few hours. One note the pictures and videos you may see of the northern lights can be deceiving as camera cameras are better equipped to see them than the human eye. In the northern U.S. the lights may appear as more white or silver, so be sure to keep a keen eye out for any movement in the sky and make sure your camera or phone is on to catch the colors that we can't see. Happy lights Chasing Today's Inspiring Humans Demonstrate Teamwork at its finest Phil Thompson always wanted to reach the summit of Mount Snowden in North Wales, but the 66 year old Brit has used a wheelchair since being in a motorcycle accident at age 19, so he had rendered this lifelong dream impossible. Thankfully, his son's rugby team, the Bangor Rugby Club, didn't have impossible in their vocabulary. They were already planning to do a climb up Mount Snowden as a fundraiser for the team, so when they heard about Thompson's wish, they tweaked their plans slightly to fulfill it. According to USA Today, the members enlisted a local company to build a custom frame for his wheelchair and then proceed proceeded to carry him up the 3, 650 foot peak. One of the team members told SWNS it was a no brainer to bring Thompson along on the climb. Last month he said, quote bangor Rugby Club is very community focused and Phil hasn't missed a game in over a year, come rain or shine. And that's it for today's episode. If you loved these stories, please consider giving us a follow on Apple, Spotify and YouTube Music and sharing this episode with a friend. If you want more good news, visit nicenews.com Sign up for our free daily newsletter. I also wanted to give you a quick heads up that we're wrapping up our first season of the Nice News Today podcast, so Friday's episode will be the last one for now. But until next time, keep spreading your light. And remember, there's more than enough good out there to go around. Have a great day.