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What makes “a good life,” a 102-year-old mountaineer, and a growing sport for the visually impaired
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Today’s episode dives into the concept of a psychologically rich life, which some researchers propose is what makes for a good life. Plus, you’ll hear all about the 102-year-old who became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Fuji, the rise of blind tennis for the visually impaired, and the med student offering free podiatry care to unhoused people. This episode was hosted and produced by Case Kenny. Research and writing by Natalie Stone, Ally Mauch, Rebekah Brandes, and Stephanie Friedman. Music by Ryan Peitzke. For more good news, tune in to Nice News Today on Mondays and Fridays and subscribe to the daily Nice News newsletter at NiceNews.com. The episode is brought to you by Hugz. Use promo code NICENEWS20 to get 20% off at givehugz.co.
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Good morning. Welcome to Nice news today, your 10 minute roundup of the week's most positive News. It is August 25th and today I'm diving into the concept of a psychologically rich life, which some researchers propose is what makes for a good life. Plus, I'll tell you all about the 102 year old who became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Fuji, the rise of blind tennis for the visually impaired, and the med student offering free podiatry care to unhoused people. I'm your host, Case Kenny. Let's uncover some good Together what makes for a good life? That's a pretty big question, and not one I'm likely to answer conclusively today. But some researchers have proposed an interesting science backed framework for creating a good life. According to a recent report in the Washington Post, A Science Psychologically rich Life may be the key to a good life that means a life filled with novel experiences, insights and complexity, as well as discomfort and challenges. Shige Oishi, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, is the one who first came up with the concept of psychological richness as an alternative to two other theories about what makes a good life. The first is a happy life, which focuses on comfort and prioritizing joy. And the second is a meaningful, meaningful life, which is all about making the world a better place. Here's one way to differentiate between the three per the post, the last words of someone who lived a happy life might be it was fun. Someone who lived a meaningful life might say I made a difference. And someone who lived a psychologically rich life might say, what a journey. By definition, psychological richness involves some level of difficulty in life, so isn't always correlated with happiness, but it is associated with greater cognitive complexity complexity as well as certain health outcomes like confidence in coping with challenges and perceived social support. So how do you actually implement psychological richness in your everyday life? Oishi recommends prioritizing play, being open to new experiences, embracing discomfort, and keeping a record of your life's experiences, whether in a journal, scrapbook or photo collection, so you can share and maintain your memories. Our next story is actually a pretty good example of what a psychologically rich life could look like at age 102. Kokichi Akazawa was recently awarded a Guinness World Record for becoming the oldest man to summit Mount Fuji, which is Japan's tallest peak at over 12,000ft high. Akazawa began his ascent on the morning of August 3rd and took three days to reach the top, sleeping in huts for two nights. And it wasn't an easy journey. In the months prior, he had tripped during a different climb, gotten ill with shingles and suffered a heart failure. Still, he made it to Mount Fuji and pushed through challenging high altitude conditions to complete the trek. He actually almost gave up near the end, but was encouraged to keep going by his daughter. Afterward, he said, quote I'm amazed that I made it to the top. I couldn't have done it without everyone's help. I'm feeling pleased now. If only we could all be climbing mountains at 102. The 2025 U.S. open got underway in Queens yesterday, meaning tennis will be dominating the athletics world for the next couple weeks. But I'm going to tell you about a version of the sport you probably won't see on the ESPN homepage Blind Tennis and as you may have guessed, blind tennis is an adapted version of tennis for those who are visually impaired. It was first developed in the 1980s when a blind teen in Jap created a ball with a bell inside that could be tracked by sound, according to the New York Times. It hasn't caught on much in the US but a program called the Sound of Tennis is trying to change that. It was founded in 2015 by Anthony Everard, a former college player who was introduced to blind tennis by his mother in law who was legally blind. The goal of the Sound of Tennis, which offers free blind tennis sessions at a racket club in New York City, is empowering players to enjoy being on the court and moving their body, he said, quote feeling the ball in the strings. That's a win. Though there's still a ways to go to increase participation in blind tennis. The sport recently got a boost at the US Open, where the Sound of Tennis hosted a two hour event encouraging people to give it a try. Do you know any talented STEM students? You may want to clue them in to this NASA contest. Earlier this month, the space agency announced that it's accepting proposals for the 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge, a compet competition in which student teams design, build and test rovers that could, in theory, go to the moon and Mars. More than 500 students on 75 teams competed in last year's event at the U.S. space and Rocket center in Huntsville, Alabama, including folks in college, high school and middle school. And if you weren't yet convinced of how cool this opportunity is, NASA said that many former participants of the annual contest now work at NASA or in the aerospace industry. The activity lead for the program said the Challenge Challenge will, quote, help students see themselves in the mission and give them the hands on experience needed to advance technology and become the workforce of tomorrow. If any science whizzes came to mind while listening to this, let them know they have to apply by September 15th platonic relationships tend to take a back seat to romantic ones, but the two may have more in common than you think, at least if prairie voles are any indicator. It's already established that oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, enhances trust bonding and empathy in romantic relationships. But researchers wanted to figure out if oxytocin also plays a role in making and keeping friends. So they decided to study prairie voles, which are mouse like rodents known for forming lasting social bonds. In a recent study, they found that voles genetically modified to lack oxytocin receptors took longer to form friendships compared compared to unmodified ones in group settings. The modified animals were also more likely to socialize with voles they didn't know, while regular voles tended to stick with their friends. One of these study co authors told Popular Science that these findings broaden the scope of oxytocin. She suggested that it should be called the social relationship hormone than just the love hormone. We'll be back with more positive stories in a moment, but first, a quick shout out to today's sponsor. Hugs when stress hits Having a toolkit can help, like deep breathing, getting lost in a good book, or taking a walk outside. But sometimes all you really need is a hug. Meet Hugs, the weighted plushie that hugs you back. It's like a weighted blanket, but better shaped, like a sloth, otter, cow, or even a manta ray. Hugs are cute and cuddly, and they bring a sense of calm when you need it. Microwave your hugs for warm comfort, chill it for cool relief, or just hold it tight when you're having a tough day. Whether you're battling cramps, calming your mind before bed, or just wanting to gift someone the softest safety net ever. Hugs is always there, and every purchase helps fund mental health initiatives, stretching your hug even further. Head to give hugs co. That's give hugs with a Z co and use code nicenews20 for 20% off your first order. Because everyone deserves a hug that helps. There are plenty of organizations and individuals across the country who work to help people get back on their feet, metaphorically, but Steffi Casimir, today's inspiring human, takes that phrase literally. Casimir is a medical student at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California, currently studying to be a foot and ankle surgeon. She also documents her life on TikTok, including her time volunteering at a local church's mobile response unit for unhoused community members. That's where she sets up her makeshift podiatry office and helps take care of people's feet. She cleans and dresses wounds, trims toenails and treats calluses, corns and any other issues that might arise, according to Good, Good, Good. She also hands out lotions, first aid supplies, fresh socks, sneakers and more. Here's how she explained her venture in a TikTok video. Foot problems are one of the most common reasons homeless people end up in the er. Providing free care gives them relief, dignity and a chance to walk forward with less suffering. For those experiencing homelessness, feet are their only transportation. Walking miles each day without proper shoes or medical care leaves them vulnerable to wounds, infection and pain. I volunteer to protect that foundation. If Casimir is going so above and beyond as a student, we can only imagine how far she'll go when she's a licensed doctor. 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 to sign up for our free daily newsletter. Until next time, keep spreading your light and remember, there's more than enough good out there to go around. Have a great day.