Clowns Without Borders (CWB) harnesses the power of humor to bring people together, especially in challenging environments. 

Our recent tour in Egypt exemplifies this mission perfectly and demonstrates how laughter can be a catalyst for both social cohesion and environmental awareness.

The journey began with a collaboration between CWB Artist in Residence Hannah Gaff and a talented Egyptian team, including Nelly Abd-El Maksoud, Saly Ahmed, Sami Gomaa, Tarek Ahmed, and Diaa Eldin Rayad, under the guidance of Project Manager Ahmed Moussa.

Then the Garbage Monster showed up…

Project Summary: A Creative Collaboration

CWB-USA partnered with Vassar College and Dawar Arts Egypt for the groundbreaking Theatre for Climate Justice Project to address the intersecting crises of climate change and forced displacement in Egypt.

By leveraging the power of theatre and puppetry, the team aimed to support the work of vulnerable communities, particularly refugees and asylum seekers, while addressing environmental concerns.

Through interactive workshops and captivating performances, the team explored the challenges posed by climate change, including sea-level rise, pollution, and resource scarcity. These issues disproportionately affect forcibly displaced populations who often live in overcrowded and precarious conditions. 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation generously supported the project through the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement, and Education (CFMDE).

Now let’s explore how play and laughter are potent tools for building community, fostering creativity, and addressing pressing global challenges.

Defeating the Garbage Monster

The team developed a captivating one-hour play centered on the pressing issue of pollution in the Nile River.

A central character in the play was the formidable “Garbage Monster,” a symbol of the environmental challenges facing Cairo. 

Kids with refugee or asylum seeker status from Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen helped defeat the play’s Garbage Monster that was destroying their villages.

Artist Diaa Eldin Rayad shared that, “Interacting with children is one of the most enjoyable moments for me. One child told me, 

When we came to the end of the show, he collected the plastic bottles by himself without being asked to do so.

By engaging children, particularly those with refugee or asylum-seeker backgrounds, in confronting this monstrous foe, the team encouraged a sense of agency and empowerment.

And when you defeat the Garbage Monster, you, of course, need a dance party to celebrate your victory…

He Found His Voice Through Play

Workshops hosted by the team lead children to transform everyday trash into vibrant puppets of fish, crocodiles, and cobras.

The act of upcycling empowered children to become active participants in environmental conservation. This creative approach sparked imagination and ignited a sense of responsibility for action.

One particularly heartwarming story emerged from the workshops. 

Children’s voices, too frequently silenced by adversity, found expression through play and creativity through the Theatre for Climate Justice Project.

Tarek Ahmed recalls another moment when a child practiced agency and self-expression: 

“A girl decided to make the tail in her own way. After suggestions from me about how to make the tail, she told me, ‘Hmmmm…, I will draw it.’” 

Nelly Abd-El Maksoud shared how a child’s passionate creativity inspired her own creativity:

“Today there was a little girl who made the crocodile puppet. And for the first time, I experienced the feeling that someone was fully aware that she was doing something beautiful. This is a new feeling for me. She kept putting in a lot of details of her own, and I kept cutting her pieces and doing anything she wanted. She was very passionate about the puppet and had a great interest in it. She made me feel it was possible to turn the simplest things into beautiful things.”

These events highlight the transformative power of play in unlocking children’s potential and fostering self-expression.

Laughter Unleashed in Egypt

Hannah Gaff, our artist-in-residence, observed firsthand the transformative power of play. She recalls, 

“In the beginning of the workshop, two kids said they didn’t think they could make the puppets (made of plastic and garbage found on the street) and by the end they were so proud of the puppets they made, showing them off to everyone.”

And,

A newfound confidence was palpable as they brought their puppets to life, imaginations soaring.

Diaa Eldin Rayad, a member of the Egyptian team, also witnessed the magic of play unfold. He shared, “The children played with us while laughing. A 6-year-old-boy of Sudanese nationality told me, 

‘We will make a snake from a bag of chips. This is difficult!’”

Beyond the technical skill of puppet making, the children demonstrated a remarkable capacity for problem-solving and adaptation.

The workshop became a safe space where they could express themselves freely, build friendships, and develop a deeper understanding of one another.

By providing opportunities for imaginative play and collaborative creation, the team empowered children to overcome challenges, build resilience, and envision a brighter future.

Conclusion

The project brought together children from diverse backgrounds, such as Sudan and Eritrea, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. 

The shared experience of creating, performing, and laughing helped bridge cultural divides and build a stronger community.

Funny women have played starring roles as catalysts in the transformation.

Clowns Without Borders (CWB)-USA has had all-women teams before. But we’ve only begun to explore how audiences respond to shows directed, produced, and performed entirely by women.

This post introduces you to the women who shared laughter with people of all ages in southern Turkey (May 2024) and gives you a front-row seat to the best audience reactions from the tour.

Does an All-Woman Laughter Team Matter?

We think women-led laughter matters and this blog post shares stories to underscore that idea.

Meet the Team

Five women made CWB’s Turkey Tour 2024 a smashing success. Four of them were no strangers to Turkey, and all five were familiar with clowning in areas of crisis.

Anchoring the team were Yasemin Ertorun and Çağdaş Ekin Şişman, talented performers from Istanbul’s SOS clown group. Their familiarity with the Turkish language and culture was invaluable. Gamze Akça Özcan, also of SOS, served as the tour manager, ensuring smooth operations and building on existing connections with NGOs and civil society groups in southern Turkey.

Sabine Choucair, a powerhouse Lebanese-American performer, joined from her base in Turkey. Sabine is a co-founder of Clown Me In, a community-based organization in Lebanon. Completing the team was Luz Gaxiola, who has been on CWB tours in Lebanon, Greece, and Mexico. Luz arrived from Olympia, Washington, with her accordion and clown props ready.

In just ten days, CWB’s all-female team brought laughter and joy to over 2,200 people, including roughly 1,800 children, across Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Islahiye, Turkey (May 8th-17th, 2024).

Now that you’ve met the team, let’s meet the audience.

Touching Hearts in Southern Turkey

Of the three million people displaced by the 2023 earthquakes, over 600,000 are still in temporary housing. Usually, that looks like rows and rows of converted metal shipping containers.

The containers are vulnerable to the cold and heat. However, a move to permanent housing is cost-prohibitive due to a shortage of safe property and the inflated cost of rent.

You love to laugh — and you know how much laughter has helped you through difficult moments.

You can give the gift of laughter to a child in crisis every month with a donation of just $11 monthly.

Unexpected Guests

Clowns from Turkey and elsewhere have spent time in Hatay and nearby regions that were hardest hit by the earthquake. So some people have met clowns, while others haven’t.

“We surprised many people going about their day. They seemed shocked and amazed to find a parade of clowns and children playing music and blowing bubbles in the streets. Some people just shared a silly moment with us, and others gathered their friends and family, followed the parade, and joined us for the show.”

“One kid came at the end of the show to take a photo with Sabouny (Sabine’s clown character). She was 5 years old and didn’t want to look at the camera at all. She just wanted to be near the clown and looked at her in awe for a long moment.”

– Luz Gaxiola

“Nobody Cared Anymore” was the Transformation

CWB’s impact goes beyond eliciting laughs. We aim to transform.

“[The audience sees] four women onstage being ridiculous and being happy about how ridiculous we are, enjoying the failures and enjoying every part of the show and what we were doing…[The show] was like a celebration. We got to a point where nobody cared anymore. We were all just there, together.” 

– Sabine Choucair

“Nobody cared anymore” isn’t negative. It signifies a beautiful moment of transformation in which audience members felt liberated from societal pressures and self-consciousness. Men, women, and children alike could simply be themselves, united in a celebration of uninhibited joy.

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“There was this teenage girl who was so grumpy. From the beginning of the show, she was like, ‘Who are these clowns?’ ‘Why are there clowns coming here?’ Then, at one point, we were dancing with the girls. We were getting girls from the audience to come and do a silly dance. Then [the grumpy teenager] just decided to come onstage, take my jacket, and put the jacket on and dance with us. [There was] a shift from, ‘Who are these clowns?’ and ‘I’m not going to laugh,’ to being part of the game onstage. 

– Sabine Choucair

Seeing women of their background and identity leading in this way validates and normalizes these experiences, inspiring girls and women to embrace their unique talents and reject limitations imposed by patriarchal structures.

From Shy to “Busting Out” a Melody

Women-led play plants a seed: breaking barriers can be a positive and healthy process. Consider this story from Luz:

“After the show, this little girl showed up holding a box with a melodica in it. She was kind of shy, but she was holding it. So we started encouraging her by saying, ‘Okay, great, let’s see the melodica.’ So then she took it out, but she wasn’t playing it. She needed a few more minutes to be okay with that. So then we were like, ‘Play it!’ So she started playing it, but she was just doing little random sounds. 

“Then I, with my accordion, just started copying her. But she was a little shy, so she did that for a few minutes…and then she busted out this melody. [And we realized,] ‘Oh, you actually play this thing.’ So she started playing this melody, Bella Ciao. And I know Bella Ciao, so it was great because she was playing the melody on the melodica, and I was able to chime in here and there on the accordion. And we ended up having this really sweet duet.”

– Luz Gaxiola

The connection was between two musicians, but also between two women. Inspired by seeing a woman confidently lead and perform, the girl found the courage to express herself. The rarity of this kind of moment highlights the need for more opportunities where girls can see themselves reflected in strong, talented women, and feel empowered to pursue their dreams.

Women Calling the Shots

Sabine has an act where she playfully challenges a man who comes on stage, asking him to demonstrate both masculine and feminine moves. If he refuses, she humorously dismisses him and finds another volunteer.

“I was like, ‘Okay, you’re not going to do that? I’m not interested in you.’ So he left, and I picked somebody else and he was adorable. It was great to have him onstage. He really played along and was so happy to do that.

“Clowns are about, ‘let’s connect on a more deeper level’ and ‘Ya, I’m a woman onstage assuming my role and kicking whoever I want to kick out.’”

– Sabine Choucair

Sabine’s act is a playful yet powerful critique of rigid societal expectations of masculinity. The audience isn’t just passively entertained; they become active participants in questioning these norms. Those who embrace the challenge, like the “adorable” volunteer, demonstrate a willingness to break free from stereotypes.

Conclusion

As we reflect on CWB’s all-women team in Turkey, we see that their impact goes far beyond laughter. In a world where men have traditionally dominated clowning, CWB is flipping the script. Women-led performances challenged societal norms, proving that humor can be a powerful tool for dismantling gender stereotypes.

This is the true magic of CWB-USA: creating spaces where laughter breaks down barriers and brings people together.

This post focuses on one particular community in the region: Los Órganos.

The photos and stories from this performance are full of color and energy. We couldn’t, in our right minds (loosely defined), not share them with you.

May these photos and stories brighten your day!

All quotes are from CWB Artist Leora Sapon-Shevin.

Laughter Becomes Lifeblood in Los Órganos (‘The Organs’)

Los Órganos is in Acapulco, but it is not a tourist area. 

Children grow up surrounded by violence, drug activity, and criminal groups. There is danger all around and there are few safe places to laugh and play. 

Hurricane Otis’s fury wasn’t limited to homes and municipal buildings. It also unleashed a wave of waste, generating the equivalent of two years’ worth of garbage in just 3 hours. Los Órganos bore the brunt of this environmental nightmare.

You love to laugh — and you know how much laughter has helped you through difficult moments.

You can give the gift of laughter to a child in crisis every month with a donation of just $11 monthly.

CWB Offers A New Story to Tell 

On a covered basketball court, families filled the space.

The clowns set up microphones while people waited in line to receive academic scholarships so they could afford to continue studying after the hurricane.

As the music started, kids and their parents were eager to see what would happen next.

“I went around dancing and making eye contact to see who would dance with me. I caught the eye of a little girl, about 8 years old, sitting with her grandmother with a blank look on her face and her mouth open. Her grandmother smiled at me and motioned for me to come closer. 

“Eventually I left, and she went back to her blank stillness.

“Later in the show, I brought her up on stage and she kept her eyes on me, holding my hand. When I’d leave her for a few moments, I would find her standing still and staring. But as soon as I looked at her again, she would follow me — eventually pretending to be a frog, dancing like the sun, or flying like a seagull.”

Leora’s attention offered the girl a memory filled with the warmth of feeling special and cared for in front of her family and community.

Getting Reacquainted at the Clown Show

Next, a CWB artist encountered a familiar face at the event.

“An old classmate of Gil’s, a juggler, brought his family to the show, which he said he enjoyed very much.

“He had fled Acapulco because of violence, leaving his children and wife behind. After Otis, he returned to his family and their severely damaged home.”

Gil’s classmate might now have a new chapter in his own story — one filled with hope and the resilience of community.

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Beyond the Storm Clouds: A New Chapter for Children in Acapulco

“A little boy, less than 5, approached Darina to tell her about his hurricane experience. ‘My tree fell down and my toys were full of mud, the electricity went out too!’

“Darina asked him more questions. ‘Did you enjoy the show?’ ‘Yes!’”

The clown show experience might rewrite the storm story for the children of Los Órganos, offering them an alternate perspective.

Imagination Takes Over: From Lost Toys to Found Fun

With a nudge from CWB, adults and children of Los Órganos embraced new experiences and opened the door to wonder. 

Facing lost toys and a disrupted world, they discovered everyday objects could become endless sources of fun.

Would You Say Yes to This Fun?

Who needs fancy equipment when you have a hat and a willing participant?

“When Alex was trying to find someone to toss him his hat so that he could catch it on his head, he asked a woman who said that she couldn’t do it because she was pregnant. He told her it was okay, that she could do it seated.

Tambourine Takeover! One Woman’s Rhythm Ignites the Crowd

“Lars invited a woman up to the front to play the tambourine, which she did, smiling. 

“After a few minutes, she said, ‘Let’s get everyone to participate, no?’ giving the show new and palpable energy.”

The woman’s enthusiasm was contagious, and everyone’s experience became more vibrant and joyful.

Unlocking Imagination Through Clowning

Laughter wasn’t the only gift CWB brought to Los Órganos, Acapulco. The performances sparked something more profound: a reflection on what’s possible.

“Christian, a university student studying to be a teacher, took part in the act with the whip. Afterward, with a huge smile on his face, he thanked us. 

The performances unlocked imaginations and opened doors to new possibilities and ways of seeing the world. Even the familiar could now be a potential source of wonder and joy.

The Team

This tour had a five-person performing team, Leora Sapon-Shevin (US), Alex Pizano (Mexico), Gilberto Valenzuela (Mexico), Lars Uribe (Mexico), and Darina Robles (Mexico), all of whom are seasoned CWB performing artists. 

Our tour partners were Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Congreso del Estado de Guerrero, Sabiduría del Payaso, Banyasos, Clowncidencias, and Llaven Nü.

Over 2,100 adults and children were touched by our 13-show tour between November 30th and December 9th, 2023.

Conclusion

The once-ordinary basketball court became a vibrant stage, filled with music, laughter, and a joyous celebration of life that will echo in hearts for years to come.

Faced with the wreckage of Hurricane Otis, CWB brought more than just laughter. They planted seeds of hope and ignited the spark of imagination.

You’re in luck, because you’ve just stumbled upon a troupe of professional clowns (yes, real-life clowns) who are ready to guide you to joy.

Humor isn’t just about belly laughs; it’s a powerful tool to ease stress, lift spirits, and connect with others. Our clowns have witnessed these benefits firsthand for people in crisis.

This post explores the effectiveness of humor as a coping mechanism. You’ll also learn how to make humor a priority in your life.

Hop in the clown car — it’s time to get this show on the road!

We’ll make the following pit stops:

• Humor: How Does the Funniest Coping Mechanism Measure Up?
• Cruising to Well-Being: Humor’s Astonishing Gifts
• Stress and Anxiety Take a Comedic Detour
• Humor Habits to Avoid Potholes In Your Daily Commute
  • Take The Laughter Challenge
• Using Humor to Cope with Trauma: A CWB Example

Humor: How Does the Funniest Coping Mechanism Measure Up?

Coping mechanisms are as numerous as the number of oversized shoes at a clown convention: there are hundreds of options. But how does humor measure up?

According to Positive Psychology, the literature has identified five coping strategies:

1. Emotion-focused
2. Problem-focused
3. Meaning-focused
4. Social
5. Avoidance-focused

Within each of these strategies, you can tap into mechanisms that are either healthy or unhealthy. Unhealthy coping mechanisms may avoid stress, but the results are harmful. Healthy coping mechanisms provide benefits without harm. 

Can you find the funny in this table of coping mechanisms?

Information in the table sourced from Positive Psychology

Did you see it?

Laughter is listed under the Healthy/Emotion-focused strategy.

However, this list of coping mechanisms is not exhaustive. Can you imagine where else laughter might fit in on the chart?

What‌ does humor as a coping mechanism actually look like in practice?

Humor can shift emotions by changing our body chemistry and reframing situations. It can shift meaning by allowing an optimistic view to emerge. Socially, humor can connect us with others and nurture feelings of acceptance.

You love to laugh — and you know how much laughter has helped you through difficult moments.

You can give the gift of laughter to a child in crisis every month with a donation of just $11 monthly.

Cruising to Well-being: Humor’s Astonishing Gifts

Light-hearted, jolly humor and positive, re-framing humor are our favorite coping mechanisms.

Yes, we’re totally biased. But humor’s benefits are mostly attributed to these types of positive humor.

What are humor’s benefits? Buckle up because this is a long list:

• Physical benefits
  • Produces beta-endorphins (to replace cortisol), dopamine (to feel pleasure and relax), and oxytocin (to feel warm and fuzzy toward others)
  • Fun Fact: Researchers at Oxford have found that our pain threshold actually increases about 10% after laughing for 15 minutes.
  • Fills lungs with oxygen-rich air, energizing the body and improving blood flow, vascular function, and flexibility
  • Circulates more blood, stimulating and protecting blood vessels and heart muscles
  • Relaxes muscles and eases tension
  • Stabilizes blood-pressure
  • Brings a sense of calm
• Psychological benefits
  • Reduces anxiety and increase psychological resilience
  • Shifts perspective
  • Counteracts depression
  • Fun Fact: Carl Jung used jokes to bring patients back from psychotic states.

• Cognitive benefits
  • Improves
    • Brain function
    • Memory
    • Alertness
    • Problem-solving ability
  • Breaks down mental barriers and fosters an openness
  • Increased creativity
• Emotional benefits
  • Intrapersonal:
    • Replaces despair with hope
    • Neutralizes negative emotions
    • Gives courage and strength to persevere
    • Lightens burdens
    • Adds joy and enthusiasm to life
    • Helps us find new meaning
  • Interpersonal:
    • Defuses conflict 
    • Enhances teamwork and bonding
    • Subordinate job satisfaction and commitment
    • Enhances personal attractiveness
    • Enhances feelings of safety

Humor certainly can’t do it all.

As I shared in a post last year, I leaned on humor through cancer treatment and recovery. But my treatment also required analyzing information and taking a thoughtful approach to solve problems (the realm of Problem-focused coping).

Stress and Anxiety Take a Comedic Detour

Feeling tempted to indulge in a comedy binge to ease stress or alleviate anxiety?

Embrace it!

If you’re craving laughter, take it as your body’s way of signaling — in bright red flashing lights — the need for an emotional release, a disruption of stress hormones, or a break in a negative thought cycle.

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Hit the Humor Gas Pedal with This Clown Pro Tip

Tip: Give humor a starring role in your life.

Professional clowns prioritize humor by planning for it. Case in point: They spend hours planning performances. To get the maximum amount of laughs at a show, they plan the who (casting), what (rehearsal), where + when (venue selection + dates), and why (learning about their audience).

So, go on and plan that funny movie, comedy show, or Humor Professional Certificate class (no joke). Bonus tip: half the fun is anticipating fun.

With more humor in your life, you’ll get calmer, more relaxed, and even sleep better.

Want to really kick up your laugh life? Incorporate humor into your every day.

Humor Habits to Avoid Potholes In Your Daily Commute

Add a pinch of humor to your daily routine.

What Will You Play Today?

Clowns bloom amidst play, spontaneity, and connection with others.

What tickles your funny bone? Consider engaging in a creative project, declaring a board game night (my family’s go-to lately), or playing an epic match of Capture the Flag.

At work, can you pose a fun activity to get people to think about a recurring challenge in a new way?

Embrace the Unexpected Like a Clown

Clowns approach new challenges with creativity, adaptability, and a fearlessness — to absurdity and to the delight of their audiences.

Welcome the unexpected like a clown. Turn mishaps into moments of laughter and practice saying “yes” to spontaneous activities (like unplanned road trips ).

Embracing the unexpected can lead to personal growth and fresh perspectives as you navigate the unexpected twists and turns of life.

Are You Up for the Challenge?

Take CWB’s laughter challenge and learn how to steer into humor as a habit — one that makes life a lot of fun.

Using Humor to Cope with Trauma: A CWB Example

Clowns Without Borders (CWB) uses humor to bring joy to children and communities in crisis. Our work shows the power of humor as a coping mechanism in even the most traumatic situations.

By providing laughter and moments of respite, we help individuals find strength in the face of adversity. We call it resilience through laughter.

Anya’s Story

Anya, age 8, left her hometown in Ukraine after the war started in early 2022. She resettled in Poland, but life continued to be stressful and scary. Plus, she missed her home, school, and friends.

In November 2022, Clowns Without Borders-USA arrived at Anya’s resettlement center in Brasov and she attended a clown show. Anya played, lept in the air, and laughed. She said,

For $11 a month, you can bring a new child to a clown show every month of the year.

I Want to Give Laughter Every Month

Clowns Without Borders is a registered 501(c)(3) and our Tax ID is 20-4102508. Check donations may be mailed to 645 Queen St. SW; Atlanta, GA 30310. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

Conclusion

Humor is a powerful coping mechanism that can transform our perspective and elevate our well-being.

By incorporating humor into your life every day, you can find joy and connection even in the toughest of times.

In the colorful journey of life, may laughter be your constant companion.

But for those determined to stay — or unable to leave — recovery feels like running with a rubber band around your waist, yanking you back.

In May 2023, Clowns Without Borders arrived in Puerto Rico for a two-week tour that brought laughter and joy to survivors of storms, Covid, and earthquakes. The tour included CWB artists Arturo Gaskins (Puerto Rico), Leo Maldonado (Puerto Rico), Robin Lara (Mainland), and Bella Schleiker (Mainland). Our partner was Circo Nacional de Puerto Rico.

In this post, you’ll learn what recovery looks like for those trying not to be displaced and see the delight of children who experienced their first clown show.

All aboard!

The Quest for Post-Disaster Recovery: Avast, Is it Sailing the Silly Seas?

Puerto Ricans love their home: the natural beauty, delicious fruits, salsa music, and gatherings with friends and family.

But since Maria, the deadliest storm in US history since 1900, the quality of life for many Puerto Ricans has deteriorated. 

• Power outages are frequent because the infrastructure is old and inadequate.
• There are 150 schools that haven’t received government funding since the storm.
• In some places, decreased access to medical care puts people’s lives at risk.

You love to laugh — and you know how much laughter has helped you through difficult moments.

You can give the gift of laughter to a child in crisis every month with a donation of just $11 monthly.

What Went Wrong?

Yes, Hurricane Maria was a tremendously strong storm. But the US government’s slow and inadequate response made life in the aftermath less safe, more scary, and far more deadly.

A study published by BMJ Global Health concluded that the response to Maria did “not align with storm severity or prevention and recovery needs” when compared to government responses for Hurricanes Irma and Harvey that same year.

And the mortality outcomes show it:

It took 11 months to fully restore power.

The US government’s differential response to Hurricane Maria aligns with a history of using financial tools of colonization, the result of which has entrenched poverty and increased inequality.

No Joke: What Our Clowns Saw

CWB teams in Puerto Rico witnessed the pace of recovery in 2018 and in 2023.

As Puerto Rico team members witnessed the slow pace of recovery and the lingering effects of Hurricane Maria, they remained steadfast in their mission to lift spirits and bring people together.

Not Forgotten: Lifting Laughter and Spreading Joy in Puerto Rico

Clowns transport people to a world full of magic and play, helping children and families shift their perspectives, connect with others, and heal trauma.

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Through lively performances that included unicycle knife juggling, giant-sized underwear, and the thrilling cyr wheel, Team Puerto Rico created a joyful and carefree atmosphere for young and old.

Here’s what happened at three locations:

1. Las Marias, Puerto Rico

Las Marias is a rural mountain community that was cut off the grid for nine months following Hurricane Maria.

The team performed at a school there — one of the 150 schools that have not received government funding since Maria. The community opened the school, anyway! Though just once a week for now, it’s a brave start.

2. Comerío, Puerto Rico

Comerío is a mountain town in the eastern central region where 1,500 houses were destroyed and another 2,400 sustained significant damage. The slow pace of recovery here reminded residents of the second-class citizen treatment they receive from the US government.

Team Puerto Rico performed on a school basketball court. There were a lot of kids, teens, and young moms in the audience.

3. Islote, Puerto Rico

In Islote, a community on the north coast of the island, the team performed at an old school that is now a turtle sanctuary.

During the juggling, children joined us on stage and became part of the act! At the end of the show, all the kids played with our beach balls.

Conclusion

Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria, the pandemic, and earthquakes, CWB artists brought a much-needed respite of laughter to 1210 people in 15 communities throughout the island.

US citizens of Puerto Rico showcased the power of shared joy in strengthening bonds, fostering unity, and improving well-being.

To share joy with you, we’re leaving you with this montage of more photos from Puerto Rico.

The science of laughter, called gafology — just kidding, it’s gelotology — has revealed just how important it is to laugh regularly.

Join your clown friends and me on a deep dive into a topic to treasure and spread around: Laughter.

We’ll cover 4 ways laughter really is the best medicine, and also invite you to take our laughter challenge!

First, let’s reflect on your laugh-life.

Is Laughter the Best Medicine for You?

Where does laughter enter your life, and where does it run smack into a glass door before reaching you?

Can you laugh anytime you want to shift your perspective or mindset?

The point, or the question rather, is this: How’s your laugh-life?

Here’s a fun quiz to help you check-in:

Now that you’ve gotten to know your laugh-life, let’s talk about how it benefits your health and relationships.

1. The mental benefits of laughter are no joke.

Do you ever crave laughter?

Maybe you itch to laugh at the end of a tense workday, or you search for a funny movie after a stressful week managing a family crisis. These are great examples of how you’re already using laughter to regulate your mind and body. Well played!

Let’s dig deeper and find out what’s happening before, during, and after a good laugh.

That stressed-out feeling (before a laugh)

When you experience stress of any type, cortisol, “the stress hormone,” surges in your body. Short term, cortisol helps you feel mentally focused and energized. Long term, it can leave you feeling irritable, anxious, and fatigued. Less observable changes include an increase in blood sugar and a weakening of the immune system.

The good news is that your brain is ready and waiting for you to take an action that will trigger the release of feel-good hormones.

What happens during and after mirthful laughter?

You’re stressed out after a long day. Then your kid says the funniest thing and gets you to crack up. Here’s a breakdown of why you feel so pleasant moments later.

Hormone bliss-out

Your brain’s pituitary gland and hypothalamus kick into action, producing beta-endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin. Within seconds, they’ve spread throughout your body and have overpowered stress hormones (especially cortisol) to get you feeling:

• Positive, optimistic, and less tense (endorphins)
• Full of pleasure (dopamine)
• Warm and fuzzy toward others (oxytocin)

These hormones are not to be underestimated.

At a 15-year follow-up of 53,556 women and men, researchers of the Norway study on laughter found that women whose sense of humor measured on the high end were associated with a 48% lower risk of death from all causes. Men who had good humor had a 74% reduced risk of death from infection. The researchers suspect that a greater ability to cope with stress (and associated hormone levels) may be what contributed most to participants living longer.

Beta-endorphins that replace cortisol during laughter are 18 to 33 times more potent than morphine and are immune system strengtheners (say that 3 times fast!).

1.5 (Surprise bonus!) Is it good for your heart to laugh?

You don’t need a doctor (or clown doctor) to know about the physiological changes that occur when you laugh. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Your lungs fill with oxygen-rich air, which
  • Energizes the body
  • Improves blood flow, vascular function, and flexibility
• The additional blood circulation
  • Stimulate and protect blood vessels and heart muscles
  • Relaxes muscles and eases tension
• Your heart rate increases, then decreases
  • Stabilizing your blood-pressure
  • Bringing a sense of calm

If the benefits ended there, you may feel only mildly impressed since you could get similar results from exercise. But there’s much more to the power of laughter as medicine.

Let’s talk about how it reduces pain.

2. Who said, “laughter is the best medicine?” Someone in pain.

I admit to binge-watching Emily in Paris during my first days post-surgery. I laughed at all the cringe it served up. The point was the laughter, and I got my share.

Maybe you have had a similar experience of being ill or in pain and seeking humor.

Turns out that laughing when in pain helps you feel better — but it’s not only because you’re getting a mood boost. Researchers at Oxford have found that our pain threshold actually increases about 10% after we laugh for 15 minutes. 

Laughter is also a study-proven non-pharmacologic intervention (NPI, see box) to help reduce stress and anxiety.

We know laughter really isn’t medicine, but its health benefits are hard to ignore: Laughter is non-invasive, comes without side effects, plus it’s free and accessible.

Clowns Without Borders (CWB) artist Michael O’Neil believes that laughter is a frame of mind: He brings a rubber chicken on every tour because it gives him a chuckle knowing that the TSA might just open his bag and see it.

Now let’s turn to talk about two ways that laughter can improve your life beyond health and ease.

3. Which comes first: the friendship or the laughter?

During radiation treatment, I listened to two audiobooks: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Together by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Guess which audiobook had me chuckling in the waiting room?

In the not-as-funny-yet-just-as-real Together book, Murthy talks about how people with chronic loneliness are at a higher risk of illness. Chronic loneliness is indicated by feelings that no one is looking out for you, that you are invisible, or that you have to solve problems on your own.

During the pandemic, self-reported loneliness in the US ballooned to 36%, with 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young children reporting “serious loneliness.”

I guess it’s good to know I wasn’t alone in my loneliness?

Laughter is powerful medicine for loneliness

One of the most powerful benefits of laughter may be its ability to bring people together.

Sharing a laugh works to connect us quickly because, when you laugh at the same thing, your brain signals that you share the same worldview. And feeling that you’re coming from the same place (metaphorically, as a line of thinking and feeling) is key to developing a relationship.

Laughter transcends

Laughter cuts through social anxiety and social difference, connecting people across languages and cultures. The sound of human laughter is the most recognizable emotion-vocalization: it sounds the same regardless of language or culture. People from other cultures can even recognize the difference between laughter among strangers and laughter among friends.

Clowns Without Borders artists can attest to this reality: Artists have witnessed refugees, diverse in nationality, culture, and language (including Syrians, Afghans, and Iraqis), stand shoulder-to-shoulder and laugh together during CWB performances—just like in the photo above.

You can see that laughter has been key to our evolution as cooperative social beings.

4. Laughter can change your life (red nose optional)

You’ll experience loss, ill health, or loneliness in your life.

Luckily, people like author, playwright, and storyteller Kevin Kling remind us we can survive loss if we can find our humor and move toward an emergence of what’s next. He shares, “When you laugh at something, it can’t control you.”

Our artists used physical humor and nonverbal communication to connect with kids with broken limbs and amputations. A 2020 reflection of the tour speaks to the power of laughter to facilitate healing of traumatic events: “Every day, people would say things like, ‘That’s the first time I’ve seen that child smile since she was pulled out of the rubble two months ago.’”

What are your stories to tell? How can laughter facilitate change in your life?

If you want a few clowns to support you along your path, check out CWB’s laughter challenge, and learn how to make laughter a habit — one that changes your brain and makes life more fun.

So, is laughter the best medicine?

All signs point to yes (and, no, we aren’t just using our 8-Ball).

Never get used to laughing less, because laughter’s not a nice-to-have, but a necessary companion for health, friendship, and creating a life you love.

Take it from CWB audiences around the world: Sometimes all you need is a little boost to get the laughs rolling. Soon enough, you’ll be the one telling the next joke! We see it happen all the time.

CWB works to infuse laughter in places where laughter has been scarce, such as refugee camps or conflict zones. To learn more about CWB start here.