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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I got to cross a few items off my holiday to-do list.
Okay, let's see here.
Deck the gingerbread halls, check.
Plant candy canes in Guy Raz's micro garden, check.
Turn Guy Raz's micro house into a snow globe.
Almost check.
We're doing that one tomorrow, Reg.
And last but not least, go holiday shopping.
That's right, Reg.
We still have a little bit more time to get the wow delivered.
Grownups.
If you want to add some awe and wonder this holiday season, check out our new Wow in the World stem toys.
Whether your wowzer is zooming in on cells with our microscope and biology kit or zooming in on stars with our telescope and astronomy kit, there is so much wow in the world that you can discover right at home.
Grownups.
You can shop the wow now for kids in your life who love science and the ones who don't yet
Just visit Amazon.com slash wow.
That's it.
And now let's get back to the show.
We're in a golden age.
So many discoveries that are jumping off the page.
Can I get everyone's attention, please?
Thank you.
I would like to begin by thanking you all for gathering here today at Grandma G-Force's diaper house.
It stinks in here.
Yeah.
Oh, no, you don't.
Okay, so Grandma G-Force, we have come together because we care about you.
Yeah!
And we're a little concerned about how certain behaviors of yours might be affecting our relationships.
Yeah!
Now, this is not about blame or criticism.
We just want to support you and help you find ways to make positive changes.
No.
What?
I do not want to be here.
I'm going home.
Here we go.
Grandma J. Forrest, this is your home.
Your diaper home.
Yeah, the one we built for you out of diapers.
And then it caved in.
And we replaced it. built it again.
Out of diapers.
And afterwards, you never said the magic word.
Magic word?
What magic word?
Thank you.
Oh, that magic word.
You also never say abracadabra or hocus pocus even.
What?
No, Dennis.
Grandma G-Force never says the other magic word.
And that's why we're here today.
Ah, right, right, right, right, right, right.
Grandma G-Force, Mindy and I are afraid that you...
You might be incapable of expressing gratitude or thankfulness.
That's right, Guy Raz.
You see, Grandma G-Force, according to a new scientific study... Ah!
No, man!
What now?
I'll get it!
Coming!
Coming!
Hello.
Who are you?
Yoo-hoo.
Did I hear someone say the magic word?
You mean Alakazam?
No.
Thank you.
All right.
Get out, Judy.
Judy?
I do not need no gratitude-y Judy getting all up in my business trying to get me to say thank you all.
The live long day.
She never quits.
Oh.
Mindy, what is going on here?
I'm sorry Judy, but we're kind of in the middle of trying to tell my grandma G-Force, that she's really bad at being grateful.
Yeah.
So if you could just maybe come back another time.
Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Judy, president of the International Coalition of Grandmas for Gratitude, otherwise known as ICGA.
And we ain't buying what you're selling, Judy.
Grandma G-Force, be nice.
Wait, grandmas for gratitude?
Yes, young man, that's correct.
We are a group of grateful grandmas committed to spreading the good word on gratitude.
Also known as the magic word.
Right, Gratitudy Judy?
Yes.
Presto change-o.
Go away, Judy.
I told you I ain't gonna join your old lady club.
I'm a teenager.
Gee, Forrest, you should be grateful that this old lady wants you to join her old lady club.
Now say thank you.
Well...
Thank you, Fingerling.
Yay, she did it!
Granny G said thank you.
Eh, kinda.
Excuse me, can we get back to the gratitude intervention now, please?
Oh, yeah, I forgot we were doing that.
Why, yes, we can.
Thank you, Judy.
Oh, no, thank you.
Thank me?
And me.
Oh, thank all of you.
Now, where were we?
Uh, I don't know.
Mindy, where are we?
Ah!
Grandma G-Force, we brought you here today because some of us feel a little underappreciated by you.
I do not know what appreciated means.
Oh, my.
Yeah, that's kind of the problem here.
Yeah see, the word appreciate basically means the same thing as to be thankful, which means the same thing as to be grateful.
Nope, never heard of it.
Yeah, we've...
Uh, maybe I should give you an example of what I'm talking about.
Whatever.
See Grandma G-Force.
Sometimes I get the feeling that you don't appreciate the love of your granddaughter.
Give me one example.
Uh... Grandma G-Force, it's me, your granddaughter, Mindy.
Who?
Oh, man.
Hi, Grandma G-Force.
I brought you this bouquet of roses for Grandmother's Day.
Grandmother's Day?
Well, why are you giving them to me then?
Oh, man.
Grandma G-Force!
Hugs!
Nope.
Oh, man.
Yikes.
That's cold.
Yeah.
Grandma G-Force, we'll now give you a moment to respond.
Judy, are you still here?
I am, darling.
Gratefully.
Well, don't be.
And Mandy, I do not know why none of this matters.
Besides, I got plenty of attitude.
That's true.
That's true.
Well, it's true that you do have plenty of attitude, Grandma G-Force.
But the problem is, you don't seem to have any gratitude.
No, I do not.
And this is where the Coalition of Grandmas for Gratitude comes to the rescue.
Will somebody put a whole ham in her mouth?
What?
No, no, I.
I, for one, am curious to hear what Gratitudy Judy has to say.
Yeah, let her speak.
Ugh, fine.
Go on, Gratitudy Judy.
Grandma G-Force, do you wish to live a long life?
Well, I don't know.
I'm already about 200 years old.
Uh, let's try this another way.
Uh, Grandma G-Force, do you wish to have more years to fight with and torment Thomas Fingerling?
What?
Don't offer her that.
Oh, why, yes.
Yes, I do.
Well, gratitude is the answer.
Wow!
Are you telling me that if I start being thankful for stuff, I get to fight with Fingerling for another hundred years?
Uh, I think we're losing the point a bit, dear.
Wait a minute.
Guy Raz and I just read a scientific study on this.
Remember, Guy Raz?
No, no, hear us out.
We promise you this is a fascinating new discovery.
That's right.
Now settle in, everyone.
We're going to tell you a little story about gratitude.
Well, okay, but make it quick.
You see, a group of scientists from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia wanted to know if people who often feel thankful live longer.
I'm a scientist, and I wonder what kinds of things make people live long lives.
I'm a scientist, too, and I wonder if people who are thankful live longer or never die.
To find out, they looked at information from a big study of almost 50,000 nurses in the U.S.
Okay, all you nurses, time to gather around.
Okay, now we're going to study you.
Feller, what were we thinking collecting 50,000 nurses?
Yes, there's way too many nurses.
Well, too late now.
The study began in the year 1976 and over the next few decades, scientists would check back in with these nurses to keep track of their health and feelings.
All right, all you nurses, we're here to ask you about your feelings.
And to inspect your health, even though that's really your job because you're nurses.
Yeah, we're only scientists.
And then in 2016 when, on average, most of the nurses were around 79 years old, the scientists had them answer questions about how grateful they felt.
Okay, all you nurses, we've been up in your business for three decades now.
But there's one thing we still don't know about you.
Yeah, we want to know which of you are grateful for the stuff in your lives.
That's right.
So one at a time.
We'll need you to listen up and rate the following gratitude statements on a scale of one to seven.
If you give the statement a one, it means it's not true at all.
And if you give it a seven, it means it's super duper true.
Okay, statement number one.
I have so much to be thankful for.
Ah!
Oh, I give that one a seven.
I'm super thankful for you, Tommy.
Well, that's scientist Tommy to you.
Oh, right, right, right, right, right.
I'm super grateful for you, scientist Tommy.
All right, statement number two.
If I had to list everything I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list.
Okay, let's see.
What am I grateful for?
Um, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with mittens.
Be quiet and study.
Dennis, you're playing the role of a scientist in this story.
Stop answering the nurse questions.
Sorry, I can't help it.
Okay, statement number three.
When I look at the world, I don't see much to be grateful for.
Ah, well, that's depressing.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels.
Dennis!
I never said I wanted to be a scientist in this story.
I want to be a nurse now.
No!
Hmph.
Anyway.
The scientists then checked back again three years later, when most of the nurses were in their early 80s.
And while some of the nurses from the study had sadly passed away by then, the scientists found that most of the nurses who reported feelings of gratitude were more likely to still be alive.
Oh, wow.
Look, scientist Tommy, the nurses here are still alive.
What does it mean?
Uh, I don't know.
What it meant was that there might be a connection between feeling thankful or grateful and living a long life.
Congratulations, nurses.
You have lived a long, fruitful life filled with gratitude.
Yay, nurses!
You did it!
And that concludes our 30-plus year study.
Thank you for participating.
You may all die now.
Dennis!
What?
They lived a long life with lots to be grateful for.
What's left?
Well, there you have it, G-Force.
Scientific proof that joining us in the International Coalition of Grandmas for Gratitude will add years to your life.
It will?
It sure will.
Well...
Not so fast, Gratitudy Judy.
What?
What is it, dear?
While this study shows a possible link between gratitude and a long life, it doesn't prove that gratitude directly makes you live longer.
That's right.
The scientists think it's important to do more studies with different kinds of people to see if the results are the same.
Oh boy, a sequel!
But in the meantime, it's not a bad idea to take some time every day to be grateful for all of the good things in our lives.
That's true.
You know, a little gratitude never hurt anyone.
Well, okay, I'll say it.
I'll say the magic word.
You will?
Yeah, but I'm only gonna say it if it means I get to torment Fingerling for another 50 years.
Well, I'm afraid that might be stretching the limits of gratitude.
Well, good thing I'm flexible then.
Huh?
Granddaughter Mandy.
Yes?
I am...
Go on, Grandma G-Force.
You can say it.
You got this, Grandma G-Force.
I am... I am... What?
What is it?
A goo-goo baby?
Dennis!
Just spit it out, G-Force.
I am grateful to have you for my granddaughter.
Aww!
Now get over here and give your grandma G-Force a hug.
Really?
Get over here, honey.
Another job well done for Judy.
Well, G-Force, I hate to say it, but I'm grateful to have you in my life.
You keep things interesting and are the best at cracking my knuckles when I'm too tired to do it myself.
Ah, come here, fingerling.
Three Fours, be careful.
No.
And Guy Raz, I'm grateful to have you as my best friend in the whole wide world.
Oh, and Reggie, too.
Thanks Mindy, and I'm grateful for all the adventure you bring into my life, even if it's often disguised as chaos.
Okay, my turn.
In no particular order.
I'm grateful for dogs in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes silver, white winters that melt into spring.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
That's it.
Back to the show.
Wow in the World Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Knox, and I live in Brownsburg, Indiana.
My Wow in the World is snails have over 14,000 teeth.
Say hi to Reggie, Grandma G-Force, Thomas Fingerling, and Dennis for me.
Love your show.
Bye.
Hi, my name is Alyssa.
I live in Dallas, Texas, and my wow in the world is ant eaters don't have teeth.
They use their tongue to eat their food.
Hello, I am Malcolm, and I live in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada.
And my wow in the world is that there are actually earthquakes on the moon.
Love your show.
Bye.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is George, and I'm from Golden Valley, Minnesota.
And my wow in the world is that earthworms don't need lungs to breathe.
They absorb oxygen through their skin.
Love your podcast.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Rod.
My name is Lena and my wow in the world is that tigers are the largest cat species in the world and no two tigers have the same stripes, and tigers are good swimmers.
I love your show.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Rod.
My name is Book, and I am from Australia and the Gold Coast.
My wowies in the world is.
Marsupials are animals that carry their babies in pouches, like kangaroos wombats, koalas and Tasmanian devils.
Say hi to Reggie.
Grandma, give us an annoying dinner.
Oh, yeah!
Hi, Mindy.
Hi, Guy Raz.
This is McKenna.
This is Kyra, my sister.
We are from Richmond, Virginia.
Did you know the first dinosaur discovered was a Megalosaurus in 1824?
Love your show.
Bye, Mindy.
Bye, Guy Raz.
Bye, Reggie.
Bye, Dennis.
Bye.
Love your show.
Love your show.
Hello, my name is Oscar, and I'm from Pleasant Mouth, Pennsylvania.
My world is that flamingos are born white and turn pink as they get older and eat shrimp and algae.
Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, Graham and G-Force, Thomas Singling, and Static Man.
Hi!
Oh yeah!
Hi, I'm Teddy from...
Okemos, Michigan.
And my wow in the world is that the mountain chicken is a type of frog.
Say hi to Grandma G for... Oh, snap.
Hello, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Abby and I live in Seattle, Washington.
And my wow in the world is that a tsunami can travel as fast as a jet plane.
Thank you.
And also say hi to Reggie and Dennis for me.
Howdy.
Bye.
End of messages.
Grownups, if you like Wow in the World, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery Plus.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.
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And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole with help from our supervising producer, Jed Anderson.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show.
And Lizzie Freilich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, the Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopupscom.
All of the other tinkerers at tinkercast hq.
And to keep the wow rolling, after you finish this episode, visit us at tinkercastcom.
There you can become a member of the world organization of wowsers to get year-round mailings and weekly activities.
Shop our wow shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best-selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from tinkercast grown-ups.
You can follow wow in the world on facebook, instagram and twitter at wow in the world and our email address is hello at tinkercastcom.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7wowwow for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an up.
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
