An Osaka-based medical facility is looking to investigate whether laughter is indeed the best medicine, and whether it can be effective in treating cancer.

Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases said Wednesday that it plans to conduct a 4-month experiment to measure blood- and cell-level reactions before and after watching comedy performances.

There is existing research into laughter's effect on human health, but the planned study may be the first to continuously monitor the effect, according to a hospital official.