By Alexandra Lopez Petalas, Year 13
Laugh at Life is a student-led initiative started by Arrieta Triphyllis, a Year 13 student at St. Catherine’s British School in Athens, Greece. The project explores the intersection between humor and mental health, and how laughter can bridge cultures, strengthen communities, and bring people together, opening conversations about mental health.
The project began with a simple idea: to understand how people use laughter to deal with life’s challenges. Deeply interested in psychology and the mental health benefits of humor, Arrieta invited Katerina Vrana, a comedian, to her school to give a talk about her experiences and the role of humor in her life. Katerina Vrana shared her personal experiences with illness and the power that laughter has had on her life, inspiring students to see laughter not as a distraction but as a way of overcoming hardships. This event impacted the students and opened their eyes to the role and importance of laughter in our lives.
Arrieta decided to create short videos, interviewing people at her school, parents’ friends, and relatives, asking them two questions: How do you deal with your mental health? and Why is laughter important to you? Their answers were insightful and showed how laughter helped them find relief in difficult times, a universal thread for everyone.
Inspired by this work, the project soon expanded beyond Greece. Arrieta asked me to join this initiative and bring Laugh At Life to another community. Using the same two questions – How do you deal with your mental health? And why is laughter important to you? – interviews were conducted around our school, LGB. I interviewed people from my volleyball team, Backgammon club, and more. These responses were woven into another short film. Together, these two videos formed a cross-cultural dialogue and a reflection on how humor sustains mental health.
At its core, Laugh at Life highlights the universal nature of laughter. Regardless of whether people speak English, Greek, or French, laughter is a language that everyone understands. Studies in psychology support this idea, but beyond science, the emotional truth of laughter shows that laughter connects us all.
Projects like Laugh at Life show how students can use creativity and empathy to start meaningful conversations about mental health. Combining psychology and humor, this initiative is very inspirational. It encourages people to reflect on what makes them smile and to find humour in everyday moments.Â
In a time where people around the world are increasingly open about mental health, Laugh at Life acts as a testament to the power of collaboration and compassion. It encourages us all to notice what makes us smile and to share laughter across borders.
