To measure laughter, he attaches sensors on the skin of a tested subject's stomach, particularly the diaphragm, and detects muscle movements. The machine looks 3,000 times a second at electric elements normally produced in the body.
"I have a theory that humour detected in the brain gets directly discharged through the movement of diaphragm," he said.
By checking the movement of the diaphragm and other parts of the body, it will be possible to see if a person is only pretending to laugh while also distinguishing different types of laughter such as derision and cynicism, Kimura said.
Kimura wants to make the measuring device as small as a mobile phone and possibly market it as a health and amusement gadget.
Kimura said he planned to present his findings this summer to the US-based International Society for Humor Studies, adding that he looked forward to looking at differences in laughter internationally.
Source-AFP
SUN/M