Psychology Facts

▼ Handwriting ▼

》The process of analysing handwriting is called graphology.

》According to graphologists worldwide, there is very little you can't tell from a person's handwriting.

》Some companies use graphology during recruitment processes and the methods have also been used in court cases.

》Jan. 23 is National Handwriting Day

》After just a few minutes of looking at a complete stranger's handwriting, a graphologist can correctly, determine the following characteristics about the writer:

o Country/Region of origin

o Level of intelligence

o Emotional stability

o Aptitudes and talents

o Leadership qualities

o Honesty level

o Physical activity level

o Work/school performance

o Alcoholism or drug abuse.

》There are five types of deductions graphologists use in making their analyses:

Physiological Deductions.
Graphologists use these deductions to determine the physical state of the writer, including sickness, drug use or abuse, and even the writer's true identity. If a writer's hand shakes, his writing will shake; if a writer feels pressure or tension (as in a forgery), he will press down harder on the page.

Commonsense Deductions.
Sometimes there is no other conclusion that
one can draw from a handwriting sample other than a commonsense one. Neat people write neatly, illiterate people will write incorrectly, people who dislike their names may sign them in an indecipherable scrawl or finish them with a line through the middle-effectively crossing out their names.

Deductions Using Universal Concepts.
Anthropologist Desmond Morris identified certain body language traits that are universal to all cultures-expressions of happiness and sadness, pain and pleasure, anger a-nd affection.

》Handwriting is a trace of your body movements-it is body language on paper, and all the same associations apply: a person who's feeling more up will write in that direction; one who feels bigger about herself will write her name larger.

》Simple Psychological Interpretations.
To make accurate psychological interpretations, one has to be aware of basic psychological principles. For example, Freud broadly applied the principle that when something is overdone, it actually means the opposite-you are compensating for that which you feel you lack.
To illustrate this, if someone wrote the phrase "I love you" and wrote the word "love" twice as large as the others, it would probably mean that he or she does not love you.

》The Scientific Method.
The science of graphology is also based on empirical research. To determine which handwriting traits correspond to a particular characteristic, graphologists study large numbers of handwriting samples from people who have been identified as having that characteristic, and look for traits that occur more frequently in their handwriting than in that of the general population.

For example, one such study found that when convicted felons are asked to write on a blank, page, a statistically significant number of them do not line up their left margins. Criminals, obviously, do not "toe the line" of society. Graphologists have identified 25 different handwriting traits that a-re significandy more common among convicted felons than in others.

》In general, the size of your letters can reveal whether you are shy or outgoing.

Compared to a standard lined sheet of paper, if you write with tiny letters that do not reach the top line, you are likely to have a timid and introverted personality.

If you write with large letters that go over the top line, you are likely to be the opposite: outgoing, confident, and attention-seeking.

》If your handwriting slants up it may indicate high levels of ambition but also a sign of arrogance

》Studies suggest that those that space words widely like freedom and independence, whereas those choosing to write with small spaces prefer to be among others and hate to be alone.
People who leave large gaps between words enjoy their freedom and don't like to be crowded, while people who write words close together can't stand to be alone and might be intrusive

》Illegible signatures mean a person is private and difficult to understand

The way you dot or don't dot, your i's says a lot about your personality.

Those placing the dot high have imaginative personalities, and those writing it off to the left tend to procrastinate.

If your handwriting shows a circle instead of a dot, then you allegedly possess a childlike quality, and using a dash is said to be typical of overly critical individuals.

Organized and emphatic people place the dot firmly above the i when writing by hand.

》Words or sentences that vary to the rest of the text suggest it is a lie

》The type of looping created by the letters 'l' and 'e' can suggest a person's nature, for example, wide loops means someone is relaxed and spontaneous as well as open minded.

》People who write narrow loops tend to be skeptical of others and may restrict themselves from certain activities, which causes feelings of tension

》People who write rounded letters are more creative and artistic while pointed letters are a sign of aggression or intelligence.

》Connected letters mean the writer is logical

》Long crosses on 't's suggests someone who is determined and enthusiastic, but also stubborn. Short crosses tend to be written by someone who is lazy

》A rounded lowercase 's' means the writer is a people pleaser, but if the rounded bottom is too wide, it suggests they may not be following their heart either in their career or other pursuits.

》If someone writes quickly they are impatient and dislike delays or time wasters, it is also a sign of intelligence.

》Slow writers are more methodical and self reliant.

》People who place heavy pressure on the pen when they write, which can cause darker, thicker handwriting, are good with commitment and taking things seriously but don't respond well to criticism.

》Light-handed writers tend to be empathetic and sensitive but lack vitality

》If handwriting slants to the right, the writer is open to new experiences.

》If handwriting slants to the left, that person tends to keep to themselves

》Sloppy writing can often be a sign of high intelligence (cough doctors) as their hand can't quite keep up with their brain.

》Schizophrenia and high blood pressure can also be identified from writing