Palmistry - Can Hand Analysis Predict the Future?


by Kenneth Lagerstrom - Date: 2007-01-17 - Word Count: 658 Share This!

The practice of using palm reading to predict the future dates back thousands of years, and continues to be very popular today. Yet one of the most common questions that many people still have about it is: "Can palmistry really predict the future?" The answer to this is a definite "No".

The reason that the hands cannot be used to make accurate predictions is because the palmar lines and other characteristics do change somewhat over time. Only the dermatoglyphics (fingerprints) remain the same. (You can verify this by making a photocopy of your palms each year.) What this means is that any predictions made based on the hands would change along with the normal changes in the lines. Perhaps palmistry can predict a future or the probable future, but certainly not THE future.

Many people will continue to argue against this point, claiming anecdotal evidence that proves the accuracy of palmistry predictions. An examination of these claims, however, usually reveals them to be nothing more than the results of random chance, the Forer Effect and Subjective Validation.

If palmistry cannot accurately predict the future, then what about reading the personality, the soul's purpose, or past lives? P. T. Barnum once said "There's a sucker born every minute", and traditional palm reading is a great example of this. Take a group of 10 or so normal middle-aged adults and give each one this same identical reading in private: "Your marriage or romantic life has been rather difficult at times, and occasionally you now feel quite isolated. You have 3 children. You don't get to spend as much time with your children as you'd like to, which is one of your biggest concerns. The other big concern you have is to do with money, how to earn more and how to save more." Make each statement with complete confidence and without hesitation.

Give this exact reading to 10 different people in private, and here are the likely results: Five people will be neutral, because most of the reading was too vague, and they do not have 3 children. On the other hand, they feel that perhaps they have been given some things to think about. A healthy scepticism keeps them from making too much out of this. Two people will be somewhat impressed, because the reading really seems to apply to them. They have between 2-4 children, so it appears fairly accurate, but not as exact as they would have liked. One person will disregard the reading as being quite inaccurate, and will pay little thought or attention to it afterwards. One person will be very unimpressed, and will treat the reading as sheer foolishness. One person will be absolutely amazed by the accuracy and specific importance of their information.

Based on these reactions, you can easily understand how palm readings can stay so popular. The first 5 people have a neutral reaction, so they discuss their reading with friends until another topic of interest comes along. The next 2 people are impressed enough to start believing that "maybe this actually works", even though their reading could have been better. One person disregards palmistry, and another treats it as naive foolishness -- Neither one of these two ever talk much about it afterwards. The last person, however, is so impressed that they become an advocate and continue telling others about the accuracy. This last person is the only one out of the group who keeps talking about their reading years later.

So what is palmistry good for? The hands can accurately reveal a wealth of information about our present lives, including health problems and damaging lifestyle choices. The dermatoglyphics can almost certainly be used to identify genetic defects and predisposition to many diseases. There are countless good uses for hand analysis, but unfortunately too many people still want to pay good money for cheap fortune-telling. When it comes to palm reading, educate the public and you'll elevate the art -- Until that happens, not much will change.


Related Tags: future, palmistry, hand analysis, fortune-telling, dermatoglyphics, fingerprints, predict

Kenneth Lagerstrom is a human hand expert with 30 years of study. He provides hand analysis and palm reading services for both private and corporate functions, as well as instruction in tai chi, meditation, and self defense. For more information or to view Lagerstrom's websites please visit http://www.humanhand.com and http://www.internalkungfu.ca

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