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