For a group of Japanese researchers, the phenomenon of humor is no laughing matter.For three decades, the Japan Society for Laughter and Humor Studies based in Osaka, western Japan, has been probing what it calls the "mysteries" of the human laugh, going so far as to publish a peer-reviewed academic journal.Members of the society are not limited to academic specialists but include monks and traditional Japanese "kyogen" comedic performers among others."Laughter research is not a subject that can be mastered by a single expert," Hiroshi Inoue, 88, professor emeritus at Kansai University, the…READ FULL ARTICLE
