Deduction #2--Interests In Person

Today, I have some more easy deductions...this time about what people are interested in!  This may seem really easy to discern, but the difficulty of such a task is almost always inversely proportional to how close you are to the person or group of people.  More simply, the closer you are to them, the easier it is to figure out, but you may not be especially close to them for any number of reasons, so that is where this deduction comes in!

What to Look For

• The easiest thing, of course, is to listen to people as they are talking to you.  Being a good listener is key to being a good deductionist, because it is impossible to make deductions without getting some sort of information.  Also, many people believe that being a good listener is key to being a good friend.  Of course, that's different for different people, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
• If this person likes graphic t-shirts, these often reflect interests.  There are many t-shirts, sweatshirts, jewelry pieces, shoes, leggings, lanyards, belts, suspenders, and even tattoos that have designs related to shows, books, music, science, etc.  Some of these are more subtle, such as morse code bracelets or quote t-shirts, but if this is a person whom you have reason to talk to, you can always ask.  Many people love to talk about their apparel, especially if it is more subtle.
• If somebody you don't know very well, but still talk to, "geeks out" (for lack of a better term) over something; as in, goes on a bit of a friendly rant about it, listen closely.  Ask questions.  These discussions will generally not only reveal information about the thing they are so interested in, but also about what they like about it and why they like it.  This, in turn, can tell you a bit about their character, which is one good reason to figure out interests in the first place.
• If a person frequently carries school supplies, books, briefcases, backpacks, or other personal possessions, take a look if possible.  Notebooks sometimes have designs on the covers, some of which are hand-drawn, which suggests artistic tendencies, or perhaps a tendency to spend time with artists.  Backpacks sometimes have pins or decorations on them.  This is good if you are not close to the person or comfortable talking to them, because these are things that they are generally trying to show the world.
• If you have a chance to listen to peoples' conversations, you can do so, but only if it is something public, i.e. something they are discussing in a public place.  Don't follow people, record them, or anything like that, as that is a major breach of privacy and actually illegal in some capacities.

Other Related Advice
--  It's okay for some of your information to be seemingly obvious; it makes your job a lot easier and you can build on that information to deduce more complex things.
-- You shouldn't read peoples' personal files without their permission, but it's okay to look at the outside cover of notebooks, folders, etc.
-- Of course, the things that people want to show the world about themselves may all be part of an elaborate ruse or other sort of cunning stratagem, but that's for the posts about identifying deception.
-- It's a good idea to look up things you don't know.  If you see a strange stuffed keychain on somebody's backpack, you can and should look it up on the Internet, or ask somebody about it.

I will post more about deducing interests later, but this is already a lot of information as is and I do not want to confuse anybody!  Though deduction can be complex, it does not have to be impossible to figure out.

Signing off,
SM

Deduction #1--Dominant Hand

It took me a while to figure out which deduction I should post first, but I decided to start with one of the most fun and easy:  How to figure out what a person's dominant hand is!  And, in case you were wondering, according to the National Geographic Kids' Almanac from 2010 (or whatever name they had for it), nobody is truly ambidextrous.  It's possible for people to use both hands for some tasks, but that's normal.

What to Look For

• Watch people as they write.  This is the simplest, most direct way to figure it out.  Never overlook the obvious!  It is a common mistake to attempt to deduce something in a roundabout, complicated way, only to find that the information is, literally, right in front of you.  Or perhaps, in this case, 'write' in front of you.  :)
• Look to see if a person wears a watch.  They will generally wear it on the wrist opposite their dominant hand to avoid damaging it.  This isn't always true, though, as some people have an easier time reaching back with their dominant hand to put it on that wrist.
• If a person wears a lot of bracelets on both wrists, and there are varied types, check to see if one arm has more of the "sturdier" bracelets such as rubber or perhaps Paracord.  This is probably the dominant hand, as more delicate bracelets made of embroidery floss and/or beads could tear and/or fall off.
• Though many young people these days have learned to multitask with their gadgetry, at least some people will operate their touchscreen devices with their dominant hand.

The real fun in this is asking people to see if your deduction is correct.  It's a fairly harmless, not-too-sensitive thing to inquire about and can be very impressive if you are confident enough!

Signing off,

SM

A Quick Note Before I Continue

Hello fellow deductionists,

As I run this blog, I would love to hear any questions of yours or stories about deductions you are trying to make or have made.  I will be as nonjudgmental as possible and give any advice I can.  I know it is hard to feel confident about your skills, due to the confusing nature of deduction, but all of us are learning!  As long as you are being respectful--something I'll cover shortly--you should be proud of yourself for what you can do.

And as for respectful...I should tell you up front that there are some things you really shouldn't do when deducing things.  While it's fun to ask people awkward questions to see if your deductions are correct, you shouldn't ask about personal or sensitive things, especially if you don't know them.

You should not pry into things about somebody's illnesses, mental disorders, sexual orientations, genders, races, ethnicities, disabilities, or anything you wouldn't want somebody to ask you about.

You also shouldn't make assumptions about somebody based on any of these things, as that is stereotypical, not logical, and very disrespectful.

I'm not here to tell you everything there is to know about respect and justice; there are many other wonderful blogs, sites, and other resources to teach you what you want to know and I am not qualified to talk about the intricacies of serious issues.  However, I do believe that deductive reasoning is not an excuse to get into people's serious business.

Making people slightly uncomfortable by telling them you know what hand they write with is one thing; making people very uncomfortable by making disrespectful assumptions is another.

Also, if you think of yourself as an "amateur Sherlock" type who is trying to solve mysteries in your high school or community or whatever, I would not recommend solving actual murders or anything like that because that is really dangerous if you do not have proper equipment or training.

So, as a disclaimer, I am not responsible for what you do with this information.  I have given you these warnings, and I hope that you will use your common sense to deduce carefully and wisely!