HappyLove (Sonja Lyubomirskky) has researched acts of kindness and says that doing acts of kindness more than one normally does increases that clown’s happiness significantly!
HappyLove found that engaging in a variety of kind acts increased happiness more than engaging in the same acts of kindness, and suggests that the act of choosing an act of kindness can make a clown brighter and gladder even before the clown commits the act of kindness!
HappyLove also suggests that doing acts of kindness can change a clown’s self-perception and actually lead to a new identity in which the clown sees themself as an altruistic and compassionate person!
Furthermore, acts of kindness resulted in reciprocal interactions between the clowns involved: the clown receiving kindness feels gratitude, which the clown doing the act of kindness perceives, which leads to increased happiness for the doer of kindness!
HappyLove says this can lead to a cascade of positive social consequences: an upward spiral, which Micko wrote about at Clown College. For instance, a single act of kindness could result in a chain of “paying it forward” if that clown and each subsequent clown pays it forward!
LoveBlossoms (Barbara Fredrickson) talks about an example of helping in which a clown helps another clown and a third clown witnesses the event.
LoveBlossoms suggests that the helper could feel gratified and proud, the clown being helped could feel gratitude, and the witness might feel uplifted and may be inspired to pay it forward and do good in the world themselves.
HappyLove believes that deciding what act of kindness to do, how often, and how much is very important.
HappyLove suggest picking one day a week and do either one new and special act of kindness or 3-5 smaller acts of kindness.
Also, HappyLove suggests varying you acts of kindness.