I'm Johnny Mack with five good news stories to start your day. We all
want to be happy, right, but happiness can be hard to quantify.
It means different things to different people. What if you could change one thing
in your life to become a happier person. Would it be your income,
your job, your relationships, your health well. Doctor Robert Waldinger has been
working on this for decade. He said, we've spent so much time studying
what goes wrong in life, and so this was a study of how people
take good paths as they go through life. They studied people through decades,
consulting with their parents and now their children. Waldinger said, we do like
that sugar rush high that I'm having fun right now with this party kind of
high. And then there's the happiness that comes from feeling like I'm having a
good life, a decent life and meaningful life. We all want some of
both, but some of us really prioritize one kind over the other kind.
So people could change one thing in their life to be happier, what is
the data say the answer invest in relationships with other people. The study shows
that the strongest predictors for people to maintain their happiness and health aughout the course
of their lives. Were people who describe their relationships as having satisfying levels of
quality and warmth. That applies to a wide breath of interactions in your daily
life. Spouses, close friends, colleagues, the barrista who makes your coffee,
or the person delivering your mail. He points to relationships and there's acting
as stress regulators. Chronic stress is linked to a variety of negative health impacts
and can take its hole on people's physical and mental health. Having an effective
outlet like a good friend of rents who after a long day, can help
alleviate that pressure. Listen how long the study's been going. You know,
we've tracked these lives for eight decades. The wonderful thing about following these life
stories as we learn it's never too late. There were people who thought they
were never going to have good relationships and then found a whole collection of good
friends in their sixties or seventies. There were people who found romance for the
first time in their eighties. The message we get from studying these thousands of
lives is it's never too late. As I put together these shows, I
find there's an insane amount of McDonald's related stories. I don't know what that
is. I guess McDonald's makes people happy. While McDonald's in Germany is making
people happy. They're cutting down on plastic and packaging waste. They've been testing
serving some of their most popular drinks and desserts in reusable packaging. McDonald's guests
can specify which of the test products they'd like to use reusable packaging four when
ordering at the ten selected restaurants, a one euro deposited's charge per package.
When the reusable cups are returned to the participating McDonald's, you get your deposit
back. I love it. I struggle to see that catching on the States,
but I do like it. Meanwhile, in Australia, plastic contamination on
Australian beaches has fallen by twenty nine percent since the last survey in twenty thirteen.
Some local towns have had waste control measures, and a decade later we're
seeing cleaner beaches Areas that didn't update their waste control measures they had dirtier beaches.
I am Patty Callahan, Henry, I am Mary kay Andrews. I'm
Kristin Harmel, and I'm Kristy Woodson Harvey Friends of Fiction is led by four
longtime friends, the four of us, with more than seventy five i've published
books between us. Through end depth conversations and interviews, we discussed the books
we've written, the books we're reading, and the art of storytelling. We
are here with endless stories to support indie bookstores, authors, librarians and readers
just like you. We are always seeking innovative ways to introduce dynamic voices and
trends in publishing. On this channel, you will find hundreds of episodes with
some of your favorite authors, including the four of us, with our new
releases, as we reveal the stories behind the stories, offer writing tips and
talk about the creation of novels, memoirs, and nonfiction titles. So if
you love books and you're curious about the writing world, you are in the
right place. You can listen to Friends and Fiction on any major streaming platform
and grass for Jaylen Smith Jaylen is eighteen. Jaylen is also the mayor.
He graduated from high school last spring. He decided to stay put in Earl,
Arkansas, and he ran for mayor and he won. He said,
why should I have to go somewhere else to be great when I could be
great? Right here in Earl, Arkansas. I'm kind of a go getter.
When I was in high school, I was always told no, but
I kept pushing it because I knew there was someone that was waiting to tell
me yes. One of his biggest obstacles as a candidate was persuading skeptics who
cited his age and lack of experience, especially since his opponent in the election
was the city's far more seasoned sanitation and street manager. But his supporters argued
they weren't asking voters to vote for any eighteen year old. This was Jalen,
the teenager who started wearing suits to school in ninth grade and as gospel
of music blasting from his computer speakers. He had also become a fixture at
city council meetings and community events. Councilwoman Angela Jones said, sometimes when the
city council members didn't show up, Jalen was there. He attends the school
board meetings, the water commission meetings. He was young and he was doing
this. Who does that at a young age? He had purpose. Congratulations
mister Mayor, and good news if you like. Pasta. Grace Hoffman writes
for The Daily Mirror and tried quotes the world's best pasta sauce that only contains
three ingredients. Hey, maybe even I can make this one. What are
the ingredients? Johnny Mac? All right, you're ready. An onion,
butter, and tomatoes. Apparently this was started by American food writer Marcella Hazan,
who passed away in nineteen ninety two. Hasan argued that a good pasta
sauce is remarkably simple and economical. Her recipe can be found in her cookbook
Essentials of Classic. Itsan cooking pot, half a peeled onion into a pot
with butter and tinned tomatoes. Let it's simmer for forty five minutes. That's
it. The writer says. I was skeptical at first. At the end
of the day, the recipe was just tomato sauce. How could the sauce
be any different? You don't even have to chop the onion, just throw
it in there. Let it's simmer forty five minutes. How was it?
The writer says, I was pleasantly surprised. That's your good news for today.
Follow the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify YouTube if you get
your shows. Have a great day. Hello, I am Mark Francis,
host of a daily podcast about the British royal family called Palace Intrigue. Did
you see what Megan Michael did in her latest documentary or what Prince Harry said
in his new book. While the Kings and Queens and princes and princesses are
ready to explode, Andrew is ready to implode, Royal sources are jumping at
the bit. The inlaws just can't stop. The UK tabloids are about to
burst, Americans can't get enough, the kids can't get any cut, the
press can't get any uglier. And Wills and Kate, well, they're just
wonderful. Get your daily dose of gossip and news from the world's most royal
family. Follow Palace Intrigue on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get
your shows.