Someone poking to see if you’ll flinch is running an experiment. Give them boring data and they’ll pack up the lab.

A small dig is often a test rather than an attack. The person wants to see what happens, how fast you react, whether there is a reliable reaction available whenever they want one. A big response confirms the equipment works. A flat one tells them there is nothing here worth studying.

When the next poke comes, keep your face and your voice ordinary and answer as briefly as politeness allows. No explanation, no counterattack, no visible cost. Most people lose interest when the result stops being interesting, and the ones who do not are showing you something you needed to know.