Experiment 3: Puns
Much research has been conducted on the effect of puns on tennis players. They have been found to provoke a variety of responses including confusion, amusement, annoyance and occasionally violence (6). We hoped to use puns to elicit an amusement response from Tezuka, thereby causing him to laugh. To this end, we obtained Amane Hikaru from Rokkaku, who is considered by many to be Japan's best source of puns.
First, we isolated Amane from Kurobane Harukaze, who is known to have an inhibitory effect on his punning abilities (6). He was then engaged in conversation by Fuji Syuusuke after morning practice at a proximity of 4.3 feet from Tezuka. As controls, Momoshiro Takeshi and Oishi Shuichiroh were placed equidistant from the conversation. Over the course of a 5.6 minute conversation, 38 puns were emitted. A 94.7 and 97.3 laughter rate was observed in the controls, confirming that the puns were, in fact, funny.
From Tezuka, unfortunately, no laughter was observed. Expressions of annoyance or distaste were observed for 36.8 of the puns, with no reaction evident for the remainder. The final pun resulted in Tezuka leaving the court, thus forcing the experiment to conclude before the intended ten-minute length.
This experiment clearly demonstrates that Tezuka is of the group that does not find puns amusing. However, puns did not result in violence or punishment for those involved, suggesting that he is annoyed rather than angered by them. Thus, despite the failure of this experiment to induce laughter, it may prove useful for future research if Tezuka ever needs to be driven away or otherwise irritated.
6. Amane, H. (2005). "On the control and effect of puns on the Rokkaku Tennis Club." Journal of Horrible Japanese Puns. Volume 3, pp. 63-79.
Experiment 4: Cuteness
The adorable antics of Hyotei's Akutagawa Jiroh have been shown to result in sincere smiles from even the likes of Atobe Keigo (7), suggesting that such cute enthusiasm might produce laughter from even the most serious of subjects. To test this hypothesis, we acquired a dormant Akutagawa (Kabaji Delivery Services, Hyotei Gakuen). He was placed outside the Seigaku tennis courts in a strategic location and woken with a bucket of cold water during the first point of a practice match between Tezuka and Fuji Syuusuke (scheduled with help from Ryuuzaki Sumire).
Fuji has an excitatory effect on Akutagawa (8), so he immediately became enthusiastic and bouncy at the sight of the tennis match. 100 of people within a 8 m radius could not help smiling or laughing at his reactions. While changing courts, Fuji smiled and said hello to Akutagawa, who jumped up and down and told him how great a match this was. Tezuka showed no reaction, but at the next court change he very soberly told the spectators to please quiet down. Unable to maintain his excitement in silence, Akutagawa quickly fell asleep.
Once again, we can conclude that even the enthusiasm of Akutagawa Jiroh is not sufficient to make Tezuka laugh or even smile. However, it did cause laughter in nearly all other observers, suggesting that Akutagawa may have applications for motivational purposes or the treatment of depression. It is our hope the Hyotei's tennis players will consider pursuing this avenue of research.
7. Oshitari, Y. (2003). "Evidence that Atobe is, in fact, human". Journal of Potential Blackmail Material. Volume 38, pp. 3-60.
8. Fuji, S. (2005). "Isn't Jiroh funny (when he's not beating my little brother)?" Journal of Cute But Not Fluffy Things. Volume 8, pp. 3-7.