Thumb flexibility: question for experts!

Lynn wrote:Yes supple thumb can change to stiff thumb.

Lynn wrote:If the person becomes more determined, assertive, willfull.
Usually the dominant hand can become stiffer whilst the inner tendency / natural instinctive reactions on passive hand stays more flexible.
I don't know a time scale, I think it's a gradual process.

Lynn wrote:here's one example - me!
I think it's very common for people to become less flexible with age - in mind and body and thumbs and fingers! many people get more set in our ways. less adaptable, less willing to compromise or be taken advantage of etc.

Lynn wrote:Yeah my thumb used to 'bend over backwards' when I first learnt palmistry. 25 years later it's still slightly flexible, not completely stiff,  but a much higher degree of resistance in aided flexure. It's also more tubular, it used to be slightly waisted. My fingers are much less flexible than they used to be. Look at how flexible babies and children's fingers & hands are, then compare to older people. (same with bodies) No it's not rare to find a supple thumb on senior citizens. I'm talking generally, many hands get stiffer as we get older.

Lynn wrote:I'm interested to know if other handreaders agree with me. Flexibility is difficult to measure, it's not like comparing an old hand print to see how lines have changed.

learner wrote:

Lynn wrote:I'm interested to know if other handreaders agree with me. Flexibility is difficult to measure, it's not like comparing an old hand print to see how lines have changed.

Martijn's response would be nice to have.

Martijn (admin) wrote:

learner wrote:

Lynn wrote:I'm interested to know if other handreaders agree with me. Flexibility is difficult to measure, it's not like comparing an old hand print to see how lines have changed.

Martijn's response would be nice to have.

Yes, such variations are possible. However, I also support Lynn's point that it is actually hard to assess 'thumb flexibility' as their is no objective standard available. So basically any assessment could very well reflect the condition of the thumb at just one moment in time.

PS. In the fields of hand reading usually 'subjective' methods are being used where it is assessed according feeling how flexible the thumb is inplanted, but in science this feature usually gets defined in terms of extensibility (e.g. the amount of flexure), see for example: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2141.1998.00697.x/full